By Teri Walker –
The Joseph City School District Governing Board voted last week to renew Superintendent Robert Klein’s contract for an additional three years at the same salary level he was granted in 2012. His approved base salary for the 2012-13 school year is $89,352.
The governing board approved Klein’s contract in advance of the 2012-13 budget process, which Finance Director Carol Henderson hopes will start in June.
School districts have been waiting to fully roll out budget planning until they receive budget forms from the state that couldn’t be finalized until the state budget was approved. Governor Jan Brewer signed the budget on May 7, nearly a full month later than last year’s budget signing, so budget forms are still being completed and budget preparation schedules for school districts dependent on state information and direction are being compressed.
While waiting to start the new budget, the board acted last week to close out the current year’s budget by approving the fiscal year 2012 budget revisions, syncing the actual final expenditures with those projected or estimated in last year’s budget.
The board also approved the fiscal year 2013 salary schedules, which include a two percent increase in base salaries for all employees the board approved in April.
In other action May 8, the board:
* Named Arizona Psychology Services as the district counseling provider for 2013 at a rate of $76 per hour and paying $0.555 per mile traveled.
* Approved the payroll, expense and revolving fund vouchers, and the district, auxiliary, student and activity budget summaries for April 2012.
* Named Arizona School Boards Association Insurance Trust (ASBAIT) as the health care and dental insurance provider for the district. Previously, the district contracted with Delta Dental and employees paid the entire premium for dental coverage. ASBAIT is offering increased benefits and a lower premium, reducing employees’ monthly costs. District insurance policy premiums were increased five percent, and the schools are now paying $494 per month per employee for single coverage.
* Granted approval for board members to travel to the Arizona School Boards Association Delegate Assembly on June 30 in Scottsdale.
* Approved an equipment lease from GovNet.net to support long-distance learning over a secured intranet network.
* Named Nina Ortiz and Verlinda Turley as substitute teachers for the 2013 fiscal year, and Deidra Hansen and Skyler Moore as summer student technology workers.
