Joseph City School Board Approves Pay Raises For Non-Contract Duties

Certified staff had been paid $20 per hour for these duties, with classified staff earning $10 per hour. The revised salary schedule will pay $25 per hour for certified staff and $12.50 for classified staff.

Compensation for junior high sports referees was also increased. In a memo to the board, Klein said, “They (referees) are currently being paid at the rate of $20 per hour, but occasionally the officials for these games are AIA (Arizona Interscholastic Association) certified officials. The junior high program is not an AIA sanctioned program, but the AIA certification provides better trained officials.”

He proposed that when AIA certified officials referee games, they should be paid $35 per hour, which is what is paid at AIA sanctioned events. The pay for non-certified officials would remain at $20 per hour.

Compensation for other non-contract employees, such as ticket takers, timers and chaperones at school events, Red Ribbon week coordinator, special projects coordinator and high school music accompanist, remained the same.

In other business, Business Manager Carol Henderson reported that the school’s insurance company denied a claim for $300 in stolen goods because the district has a $1,000 deductible under its policy.

The claim originated from the Sept. 13 theft of concession items valued at more than $800 from the high school concession stand. Henderson said the Joseph City Booster Club had stocked up on extra food, beverages and snacks in anticipation of the school’s weekend games when someone broke through the door of the concession stand and took all of the concession products, but left equipment untouched.

The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office later recovered about $500 worth of merchandise, but the remaining items were not recovered. Charges are pending against the suspected burglar and the case is ongoing, according to NCSO Lieutenant John James.

The board voted to renew the Proposition 301 performance pay matrixes for the 2011-12 school year, which describes criteria teachers must meet to earn performance bonuses each school year. The board did not make any changes to the criteria, which includes such things as continuing education and leadership training, volunteer work within the district and student achievement of performance objectives.

The board also held a required public meeting related to the maintenance and operations override, which is in the third year of a five-year cycle. The purpose of the override is to keep the district abreast of educational trends, keep salaries competitive, furnish classroom supplies, maintain all educational programs currently offered by the district and maintain class sizes.

Henderson noted that the estimated amount of the override included in the voter informational pamphlet distributed prior to the override election was $425,000 per year. The actual amounts collected have been $403,285 in fiscal year 2009-10, $401,884 in fiscal year 2010-11, and $405,837 in fiscal year 2011-12.

In order to maintain the override funding at the approved level for the full length of the override period, the district must hold an election in fiscal year 2013-14, which Henderson said the district plans to do.

During last week’s meeting, the governing board also held the second reading and approved policy revisions recommended by the Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA), including those related to medical marijuana standards and conditions for employees, nonmedical use or abuse of drugs or alcohol, student dismissal precautions, community use of school facilities, public conduct on school property and smoking on school premises at public functions. The revisions to graduation requirements also underwent a second reading.

Finally, the board approved a number of personnel and student appointments.

Lynette Baldwin was appointed as a substitute cafeteria and custodial worker; Andrea Miller was approved to be a sports event worker and Jennie Miller was also named a substitute custodian.

Balaam Angeles, Robert Downs and Eric Joe were named student auditorium workers.

The next meeting of the governing board will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8, in the district office boardroom at 8176 N. Westover St.