Compensation, process and procedure deficiences once again the main topic of school board meeting
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By Rene Bettendorf
GLENWOOD CITY – At their meeting on Monday evening the Glenwood City school board once again discussed at length various compensation, process and procedure deficiencies implemented by the former administration and how staff member’s pay was negatively affected.
District administrator Patrick Olson brought the matter up to the board back in November. At that time Olson and district accountant Deb Newman had found a number of instances where staff were not compensated properly. In some cases staff went backwards in pay, in other cases teachers were placed outside the district’s compensation model and in at least one case a breach of contract occurred.
After a lot of research Olson and Newman recently discovered eight more staff members that went backwards in pay which is a violation of Wisconsin state statute 118.22. All of these issues occurred under former district administrator Tim Johnson and former district accountant Ron Johnson mostly between 2018 and 2023, according to Olson.
“This is what we found, this is where we’re at,” said Olson.
In addition to lost wages, staff members who went backwards in pay also had their FICA, WRS and Medicare contributions reduced because their checks were smaller than they should have been.
At the December meeting the board asked Olson and Newman to calculate any lost wages for each staff member that was affected and bring those numbers to the board for consideration. Finding compensation models for the years in question proved to be difficult, but in the end Newman was able to piece it together.
Olson and Newman picked one teacher who went backwards in pay and presented their findings for that person, who they referred to as teacher A to the board as an example.
According to their report on teacher A, which can be viewed on the district website, during the 2018/2019 school year that individual was in Cell 6 which equated to a $65,273 in compensation. The following year teacher A was placed in M4 which put them at $65,000 when they should have been put at M5 and paid $66,000. This resulted in lost wages totaling $727, according to Olson and Newman.
During the 2020/2021 school year teacher A was placed in CPI which put them at $65,500 when they should have been at M6 or $67,000 resulting in lost wages of $1,500. The following year a similar placement occurred resulting in another $1,222 in lost wages for teacher A. Then in 2022/2023 the teacher was placed at the top of the pay scale resulting in no lost wages.
In conclusion Olson and Newman found that teacher A is owed $3,449 in lost wages and approximately $498 in FICA, WRS and Medicare contributions. They believe other teachers may have lost quite a lot of wages, for some individuals it’s possibly as much as $60,000 to $80,000. They estimate the total cost for backpay could be as much as $300,000.
“If this is what the board would like us to do we can do this for each individual,” said Olson.
Olson told the board that he met with the DA last week and these compensation issues came up during the meeting. Even though having a teacher go backwards on the pay scale is a violation of a state statute, it’s not clear if it is a chargeable offense, it does not appear to be, but it could be a civil issue, said Olson.
Olson asked the board about compensation models and how they were changed. Several board members remembered changing the model from steps and lanes to a model teacher format. When that change occurred some longer tenured teachers didn’t fit into the model and so were put on a different compensation schedule.
“It’s our job to give you the information, but there were so many errors, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around,” said Olson of the complicated and disjointed compensation models.
Olson noted that there is no rhyme or reason as to why teachers were placed where they were on the pay scale and there is no documentation in their personnel files. Teachers bounced around into different categories and some of the categories don’t make any sense. He also pointed out that during this time 27 staff members left the district.
The board held a lengthy discussion on the topic and in the end asked Olson and Newman to create a document for each staff member that was affected, showing how much is owed in back pay. The board will then review how much money is owed and go from there.
Reports
Elementary principal Jamie Shaffer was absent from the meeting so Olson went over her report about Act 20, the new WI law that requires public schools to assess and support early literacy for students in grades 4K–3. According to her report, currently 60% of third graders will need a personal reading plan.
Middle/high school principal Marcy Burch was also absent. Olson went over her report which showed a significant increase in CTE (career and technical education) class enrollment.
Olson reported to the board that there are some clay pipes that are deteriorating and causing some water leakage. The pipes carry water from storm drains on the roof and become overwhelmed during heavy rainfall events. He is working on getting some quotes to get the pipes fixed.
Olson also updated the board on some strategic planning involving technology. He said there are a number of systems that are out of date including the PA and phone systems. He is working with the district’s director of information and technology, Frank Kohler and they are getting some quotes for new systems.
In her report to the board director of student services Erin Spaeth gave an update on attendance in the Tiny Tots, Tiny Toppers, and Hilltopper Hangtime programs.
In Tiny Tots three more children attended in January and another one is coming in February. Six infants are scheduled to join the program throughout the summer and fall months. Currently there are 16 babies and toddlers enrolled. Tiny Toppers also had three newcomers in January and another child will start next week. Currently there are 20, three and four-year-olds and 11, 4K students enrolled.
“These are some nice numbers,” said Spaeth.
Right now HiIltopper Hangtime has 70 students enrolled. The before school program typically has 25 to 30 students each morning and the after-school program has anywhere from 30 to 40 students attending each day.
Board member Steve Davis asked how many who participate in the Tiny Tots and Tiny Toppers programs end up staying in the district for school. Spaeth said pretty much all of them do.
In other business the Glenwood City school board:
-Went into closed session for the purpose of doing a district administrator evaluation.
-Learned from Olson that the CTE class is working with the city on some new signs.
-Heard from board members Dr. Lisa Kaiser and Chuck Draxler about the school board convention that they attended.
-Approved unrestricted open enrollment spaces for regular education and zero spaces for special education.
