Seven reduction in force notices issued by Highland School Board

The Highland School Board on March 29 issued reduction in force (RIF) notices to seven employees, but only one full-time teacher. However, Superintendent Mike Sutton said the district hopes to hire all those positions back next year.

“We are hopeful that all certified positions will be called back next year, so that is no plan for savings,” Sutton said.

By law, RIF notices must be done by the end of March for any employee where there is a possibility they may not be hired back.

“We have reduced many positions over the last several years, and we are to the point of just trying to maintain the quality of education expected from and by our community, staff, and students,” Sutton said. “Schools across the state are grappling with the difficulty of balancing the financial situation with the quality of education offered by their local schools.”

The board also issued RIFs to two part-time certified teachers and four part-time aides. The only full-time teacher to receive a RIF was a band/music instructor.

“We generally RIF all certified part-time employees and some of the grant-dependent positions,” Sutton said. “The one full-time teaching position (Hope Waters) was hired in the middle of the year as a result of Chris Wilson’s resignation, who left during the school year. The plan all along was to post the position at the end of the year. We generally RIF some number of program assistant positions in case the student enrollment changes during the summer months.”

The program assistants will be called back, providing there is not a significant change in the enrollment numbers for next year, Sutton said.

“We hope that all will be called back in the fall,” he said.

$6 million bond sale approved

The board approved issuing approximately $6 million in health/life safety bonds.

Property taxes are how the bonds, which are not subject to public referendum, will be repaid. The board also authorized the financial firm Stifel Nicolaus to conduct the bond sale.

Business Mananger Tim Bair said the 10-year bonds sold at a premium, with an interest rate of 2.8 percent. The bond sale added one year to the district’s overall debt schedule. If no more are sold in the meantime, the district is scheduled to have all its bonds paid off by 2027.

The $6 million is in addition to $450,000 in notes the board had previously OKed. The earlier bonds were issued in order to meet a March 1 deadline for establishing next year’s tax levy and also hedge against the possibility of the General Assembly passing property tax caps. However, the legislature has yet to take any such action.

Bair said the district has only sold $6.45 million in bonds, because that is the amount of the projects “we felt we could accomplish within three years” — the amount of time the district has to spend the bond money.

“We plan to issue the balance after that, unless we combine with the additional working cash bonds sometime next year — (that) will depend on the market and our need,” Bair said.

Waiver sought to keep notice out of newspaper

Following a public hearing at which no one spoke, the board voted to apply for a waiver of the School Code that would allow the district to place its Annual Statement of Affairs on the district’s website instead of publishing it in the newspaper. The Annual Statement of Affairs includes financial statement data included in the district’s annual audit, student enrollment, tax rate information, employee salaries and amounts paid to vendors The waiver would come from the Illinois State Board of Education. The district applied for a five-year waiver, 2016-2020. It’s estimated not having to publish the information in the paper would save the district approximately $1,500 in per year preparation and fees.

End-of-year calendar approved

With the threat of snow days likely done for the year, the following calendar was approved for the end of the year:

▪ Teacher Institute: Thursday, May 19;

▪ Last day of school: Friday, May 20; and

▪ HHS Graduation: Sunday, May 22 at 2 p.m.

Personnel moves

Resignations were accepted from Tabitha Isaak, a program assistant at Highland Primary; Michelle Deets, as HHS varsity dance team coach; and Matt Elledge, as HHS varsity boys basketball coach.

The retirement of Malinda Bertels, HMS language arts teacher, was approved, effective Jan. 17, 2020.

Fees approved

Food service contract renewed

The board approved renewal of its food service management contract with Ceres for 2016-2017. The contract calls for increases or decreases equal to the average CPI (inflation) for St. Louis metro for the preceding calendar year, which was -.7 percent. The proposed meal rates reflect that change. Cost per breakfast will be $1.39. Cost per lunch will be $2.58. This was the second of four possible renewals allowed before the district has to rebid the contract.

Member wants a pass key, more money for principals

Board member Robert Miller asked fellow board members if they would consider two proposals at the April meeting.

Miller wants to add $13,500, which would be divvied up among the district’s buildings, to the discretionary accounts principals are given. Miller said many teachers are paying for things out of their own pockets, and wanted to rectify that. He said given what the district spends on other activities, namely sports, it was not too much to appropriate.

“It seems to me the athletes are taken care of,” he said.

However, some fellow board members gave a cool reception to the idea.

Board member Duane Clarke said that if Miller wanted to add money to one area of the budget, he should also come with a plan of where to take it from. He said longer-tenured board members (Miller has been on the board one year) have had to make those decisions for the last several budget cyles. “The last few years have been miserable,” Clarke said.

Miller said he would also like board members to have I.D. badges and pass keys to the district’s buildings, just like its regular employees do. “I just find it very strange that when I go to a building I have to sign in as a visitor,” he said.

A couple board members said that when they want to meet with employees, they make appointments.

“I don’t think I need unfettered access (to the buildings),” Clarke said.

“I have no problem having a visitor badge. I think it’s very important for us to check in with the office,” Friedel said. “Out of respect for that building and the safety of our students, we follow the same protocol everyone else does.”

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 6:08 AM with the headline "Seven reduction in force notices issued by Highland School Board."