ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Entities throughout town are wrapping up their 2024 work, and that includes the USD 480 school board with a quick special meeting Tuesday afternoon.
Up first for the board was discussion of a stipend for Classified and administrative staff.
“Per the agenda, for classified and administrative staff not covered by the negotiated agreement, we propose a one-time longevity and retention incentive to be paid to eligible full-time staff who have been here five years or more during the 2024-25 school year on Dec. 22,” Superintendent Stephen Linkous said.
District approves incentives for long term employees“When did the time actually start?” Board President Alan Brown asked. “In other words, would this year count for some of those qualifying employees even though we’re only halfway through the year? When does the clock start?”
“It depends on the time of service,” Linkous said. “If this is the beginning of the employee’s, say, fifth year, they would qualify for this. If there’s someone who just started this term, they wouldn’t qualify since this would be year one for them. Interim teachers would also qualify for this. Anyone with five years of service is eligible for this.”
Director of Business Services Nila Newton also offered some explanations for the program.
“What we’re doing is breaking down like the bonus we had before – employees who have been here 25 years or more would get $1,500, employees who have been here 20 to 24 years would get $1,000, employees who have been here 15 to 19 years would get $700, employees who have been here 10 to 14 years would get $500, and employees who have been here five to nine years would get $300,” Newton said. “The total amount would be $128,952, and that includes FICA. We will need to take it from contingency as we have had our funding reduced per our most recent legal max, and there could be some minor changes depending on if there are resignations and other circumstances like that. But with our current numbers, the total amount would be $128,952.”
After some more brief discussion, the board ultimately voted to approve a one-time, non-recurring longevity stipend for classified and administrative staff not covered by the negotiated agreement by a margin of 4-0, with board members Nick Hatcher, Jesus Baeza and Kaylee Lopez absent from the meeting.
Also on the board’s agenda for Tuesday’s special meeting was discussion of the purchase of a new copier for Seymour Rogers Middle School.
“There was a copier at Seymour Rogers Middle School that was totaled by water damage, and this would be to replace that machine,” Director of Technology Rusty Tuman said. “The machine we’re looking to purchase is the same model we have been buying already, so everyone knows all the functions and all of that.”
“Do we have insurance or anything else that will help cover this?” board member Sarah Thompson asked.
“I don’t think it meets the threshold for that,” Tuman said. “And as far as any roof or ceiling damage, I’ll be talking with Chad [Mease] about how all of that came out. But we don’t have any coverage for the copier itself, unfortunately.”
Ultimately, the board voted to accept the quote from Southern Office in the amount of $12,580 for a Sharp copier by a margin of 4-0, with Hatcher, Baeza, and Lopez absent from the meeting.
