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MENTONE -ÊBattle lines were publicly drawn between four of the five Tippecanoe Valley School Board members Monday in regard to administrative contracts and salaries.
Board members Rod Eaton and Mark Wise wanted to hold off voting on the administrative contracts until the newly elected members joined the board in July. Board member Fred McSherry and board president Bruce Andrews, both of whom lost in the primary election May 2 and whose terms end July 1, wanted to approve them Monday night.
Board member Tom Weaver was not present.
Wise made a motion at the start of the discussion on the contracts to table the approval of contracts and salaries for the administrators until the teachers have a new contract. Andrews asked him why.
"Teachers don't have a contract," Wise said. "I guess if teachers don't have a contract, then maybe we should" not approve the administrators' contracts until such time that the teachers have a contract, to "make everyone work a little harder."
"I don't see anyone, but maybe one or two individuals on this list, that might have anything to do with negotiations," Andrews said. "And I am convinced that those two individuals, our superintendent and assistant superintendent, are very intent on getting that contract settled. They have no reason to postpone it. These people have been without a contract for 10 months roughly and because we are not able to come to terms with our teachers' association, it should not be punishment for this group."
Wise said there are concerns about the administration. He said a few years ago they had an administrator the board thought was doing an apt job, but after the contract was renewed, they found out otherwise. He doesn't want to repeat that situation.
"We've discussed (these administration contracts) several different times and you've never brought this up before. Why all of a sudden now?" said McSherry.
Previous discussion was in executive session and the concerns he had, Wise said, he thought didn't fit under executive session criteria. Eaton seconded the motion.
Andrews made a motion to amend Wise's motion to table the contract approvals until the June 12 meeting instead of until the teachers' contracts are settled. McSherry seconded the motion. The amendment died by a vote of 2-2, with Eaton and Wise opposed.
When the original motion, to table approval for the administrators', coaches' and program directors' contracts until the teachers have theirs, came up for a vote, Wise said it was only the administrators' contracts and salaries that he had motioned to table.
"I was thoroughly under the impression that all the points of discussion were resolved. I am shocked to find otherwise," Andrews said.
Eaton said he had reservations, too, because of new information on "someone" whom he refused to publicly name. The board attempted to discuss the issue Eaton mentioned without much public detail. Boling said she thought the board had resolved the matter.
Wise contended he previously said the board needed to discuss it further and gather more information before "we extend that contract and we get caught like we did before."
"I wish you had said something earlier. ... You know how important I think this is to our administrators," said Boling.
"I know how important you think it is," Wise said.
Boling replied, "To our administration staff, that's exactly right. ... You know how important it is. We've had three executive sessions. ... I guess I'm disappointed. We've had 30 days and no one has contacted me that there's any concern with this at all. I met with you personally (Wise) and gave you your board packet, you never mentioned it to me. And Rod, I talked to him, and he didn't mention it to me and didn't call or anything, so I'm just disappointed that we came here thinking, ... rather I thought, we discussed this issue and I don't know what other information you want from me regarding these contracts. So I have to say that I've been personally misled."
"I disagree," said Wise. "I've voiced that opinion more than once in the last executive session that we need to discuss this further. I'm sorry you didn't hear me and that Bruce didn't hear me."
Wise also asked, "Do you feel with new board members coming on, that they should have some consideration?"
"No, I don't," Andrews said. "This is something, this should have been settled in July, August."
Wise said, "Not with these contracts. These contracts we dealt with last May."
Boling said the current board is the board that has worked with the current administration for a year. "Why would a new board coming on who hasn't worked with any of us this year be expected to set salaries and (approve) contracts? We've never done that. Why would you want to change procedure?"
"We've never ever done that," agreed McSherry, who has served on the school board for 17 years.
The original motion, to table the administrators' contracts until the teachers have theirs, was then finally voted on and defeated 2-2, with McSherry and Andrews opposed.
"This board needs to meet, in my opinion, to settle our differences and come together either in special session or at the June meeting" and make a decision, Andrews said. Andrews made his comments into a motion.
Wise moved to amend the motion to not table head coaches' and program directors' contracts and salaries, just those of the administration. That amendment died 2-2. The original motion was then approved 4-0.
"I would like to ask you to, tomorrow, contact me with your concerns so that I can investigate them further, because right now I have no concerns on my plate ... ," Boling said. "I need to know what the concerns are."
TVSC board members are Mark Wise, Bruce Andrews, Fred McSherry, Tom Weaver and Rod Eaton.
