Teacher bonuses approved

All USD 234 teachers will receive small bonuses this year and some will also get pay increases following approval of an agreement between the USD 234 Board of Education and the Fort Scott Chapter of the Kansas National Education Association.

During a special meeting Monday, the board approved the negotiated agreement for the 2011-12 school year, which includes a two-part bonus -- a $400 retention bonus for teachers returning to the district as early as possible this school year, and a $400 bonus for those returning and for new hires in November.

The accord also includes an increase in the amount the district pays for employee health insurance. The FS-KNEA group ratified the agreement Aug. 16.

In the agreement, teachers who earn advanced degrees will make a horizontal movement of one column on the salary schedule.

Board President Janet Braun said because money is tight, the board could not authorize "true" raises this year, but will award employees one-year bonuses.

"After two years of not being able to give the teachers a salary increase, I know I speak for the rest of the USD 234 board when I say we wish we could have offered the teachers a well-deserved raise this year," she said. "However, in order to keep the increase in the mill levy at a bare minimum, this was not a possibility."

Instead, Braun said the board is providing a bonus that is split into two separate parts. In addition, the board feels the district will benefit from rewarding those teachers who have completed additional education. The board's main goal in both of these instances, Braun said, is to be able to retain strong teachers in the district.

Roberta Lewis, lead negotiator for FS-KNEA, said in a statement that teacher representatives were pleased with negotiations and the bonus offered in the agreement this year, however, "the FS-KNEA negotiating team was nevertheless very disappointed that they could not reach an agreement where the teachers would be offered an experience step."

"Salary movement has been frozen for several years and each year without this step represents a loss of professional acknowledgment as well as earned income," she added. "We will continue to work hard to restore this in the coming year."

The agreement also states that there will be a $20 increase in the district's contribution to the insurance premium for a total of $365 per month, per employee. Classified staff and administrators are also slated to receive the bonuses.

In all, the retention bonuses will cost the district $121,200 for certified staff, $42,085 for classified staff, and $8,000 for administrators. The insurance costs, which come out of an insurance account and not the general fund, are $37,080 for certified staff, $37,200 for classified staff, and $1,920 for administrators. The district will pay out $23,557 to teachers who receive additional education, according to information provided by the district.

The agreement also includes several items not related to money.

"Due to the tough economic situation in Fort Scott, we are appreciative of the teachers' team for understanding the need to focus on many non-money items this year," Braun said.

For example, each employee will now have one more of his or her 10 leave days categorized as a personal day rather than a sick day. Also, a teacher who has retired from the district can now engage in the application process to be re-employed by the district. Braun said she thought negotiations went "very well" this year, despite the fact the district is operating on a tight budget.

"Both sides were open and honest with each other," she said. "Both teams listened to the concerns of the other and did their best to work out mutually agreeable compromises. I believe together we created the best agreement we could to keep USD 234 functioning as a strong district during these difficult times."

Lewis said she felt negotiations were "better than they've been in several years," "not adversarial," and both sides made compromises.

Braun said she would not rule out actual pay increases next year, provided the district's money situation improves.

In other business Monday, the board approved the following employment matters:

* A leave of absence for bus driver Ruby Keith.

* The transfer of Deb Rice, Fort Scott Middle School special education teacher, to middle school math teacher.

* Accepted the resignation of Jordan Woods, Fort Scott High School paraeducator.

* Approved employment of Courtney Halsey as a high school paraeducator.

* Approved the addition of two paraeducator positions at the middle school.

* Approve the employment of Staci Sinn as middle school PRIDE sponsor.

* Approved the employment of Michael Johnson as a high school debate and forensics coach.

* Accepted the resignation of Melinda Collins, Eugene Ware paraeducator.

The board also approved administrative and classified salaries for the 2011-12 school year.