Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE - Wawasee School Board approved raising salaries and wages for school corporation employees at a special meeting Tuesday.
The Wawasee School Board approved Superintendent Mark Stock's recommendation for the 1999-2000 administrator salaries.
Superintendent's salary for the upcoming year was approved at $90,100. Wawasee High School principal's salary was approved at $75,300. Athletic director's salary was approved at $64,000. The lowest administrator salary approved was $53,000 for the Title I coordinator; the highest administrator salary was the superintendent.
Wage increases for support service personnel also were approved.
Cafeteria workers will receive a 3 percent increase. Paraprofessionals will receive a 7 percent increase.
Bus drivers, secretaries, bookkeepers, nurses, computer technicians, the WHS audiovisual technician and all other support service personnel will receive a 3.5 percent increase in wages.
Total increase for support service personnel will be approximately 5 percent.
In other business, Jim Evans, director of support services, gave a general overview of the proposed 1999-2000 school corporation budget to the board.
The total general fund will be $17,885,602 if approved. The general fund includes instruction, alternative education programs, special programs and support services.
The debt service fund total is estimated to be near $3,371,518. Debt service includes temporary loans and building lease rental.
Capital projects fund total is $3,145,283 and includes land acquisition for the new North Webster Elementary School project as well as other costs.
The transportation operating fund was announced to be $1,449,800 for the upcoming school year. The transportation bus replacement fund total will be $1,794,566.
Evans said the special education preschool fund will be $46,000.
The board will advertise the proposed budget and then have a public hearing on it Aug. 31. At their regularly scheduled meeting in September, the board will adopt the budget.
In other business, attorney David Cates told the board they will need to appoint two individuals to the Common Wage Determination Board for the North Webster Elementary project and corporation school buildings improvements. One appointee must be from local industry within the school corporation and the other must be a taxpayer who resides within the school corporation. Of the other three appointees to the board, one will come from the Kosciusko county commissioners, one from the governor's office and one will be a representative of the workers union.
Cates told the board the wage determination must be complete at least two weeks before the bid is let but construction companies like it to be complete before that. He also told the board that if the wage determination committee doesn't follow the law, the state can halt the project.
A new Wawasee Middle School assistant principal was approved for hire. Mike Springer will replace Thomas Jones. Jones' retirement is effective Aug. 3, 1999. He has been with the school corporation for 32 years.
