Board approves salary increase

By Mark Johnson

The Raytown Board of Education has unanimously approved a RayTEAM recommendation that calls for employees to receive a 5.72 percent base salary increase in the coming fiscal year.

“We’re glad we, with the support of the patrons, were able to do this,” board president Rick Moore said. “We hope that this is a beginning point to show you that we want to retain our quality staff.”

Funding to provide the increase is coming from a voter-approved increase in the operating levy.

Based on this year’s staffing figures, the base salary and step increases are expected to cost the district $5,461,850.

Add to that $77,937 for additional support staff salary recommendations and the total is still under the $5,672,269 estimated to be generated by the levy increase approved last month.

School Superintendent Dr. Dale Houck said any remaining funds from the levy increase would be carried over and used for salary issues next year, in addition to the ongoing revenue that will be generated by the levy increase.

The levy increase is allowing the school district to raise salaries during a period when cost containment measures are being implemented with the goal of a balanced budget for the 2008-2009 school year.

“We need to bring our revenue and expenditures into alignment,” Houck said. “The new state school foundation formula is not nearly as advantageous to us as the old one was.”

Houck said the cost containment measures should not lead to the elimination of any programs.

Board member Bobbie Saulsberry, though, asked for more information on what the impact of the measures would be.

“I want to be comfortable with my vote,” she said. “We need to be able to say why we did what we did.”

Moore also asked for additional information because of concern about the ramifications.

Houck said a significant portion of the cost containment would be focused on savings created through attrition and a reallocation of resources.

He and board members have said, though, that doesn’t mean teaching and staff positions would not be filled where they are needed.

- RayTEAM is an employee group with representatives from different sectors of the school district. RayTEAM deals with a variety of issues involving staff.

Raytown Editor Mark Johnson can be reached at 358-6397 or mjohnson@npgco.com.