Superintendent To Get 10% Raise

The Glasgow School District Negotiations Committee, which is comprised of the entire Glasgow School Board, met in the District board room on June 25 to consider 2020-2021 wages for the district clerk and superintendent, as well as conduct the superintendent’s mid-year review in a closed session.

The working meeting provided the opportunity for the committee to take each staff member’s proposal under review and negotiate before official decisions are made at the next school board meeting, which is scheduled for July 8. Up for proposal is raising the district clerk salary two percent to $57,776 and to raise the superintendent wage 10 percent from $100,000 to $110,000. Also up for proposal is added language to the superintendent’s contract to allow the ability to work outside of the district office as well as extend the contract another two years.

After calling the meeting to order and having no public or board comment, negotiations started for the salary of the district clerk. The proposal brought to the board regarding the district clerk wage included a one-time payment equivalent to the principals' one-time payment as a result of one and a half unfilled full time equivalence (FTE) monies of $1,187; an increase of the base wage to two percent according to the matrix, resulting in a salary of $57,776; and a signing bonus equivalent to what the principals will receive as a result of any available unspent 2019-20 General Fund year-end monies to be determined by July 15. The hope is that these monies will be available because of one-time cost savings associated with the schools' closures. Per previous negotiations, the principals are expected to receive six percent of any available unspent 2019-20 General Fund year-end monies.

In addition to reviewing the proposal, committee and Glasgow Board Chair, Mona Amundson, made the suggestion to provide a $1,000 one-time bonus, in addition to the proposal presented. “[The district clerk] has kind of been our lifeline for the last few years. Overall, a lot of stuff that’s been going on, through our transition with superintendents and she’s never accepted a bonus,” recalled Amundson.

Upon hearing the suggestion, the district clerk immediately stated the bonus wasn’t necessary and she wouldn’t feel right accepting the bonus, but Amundson was adamant for the need to recognize her work.

“Well, personally, I mean as board chair, I don’t know what I would have done without you during this whole transition and maybe I have had more contact with her than anybody, and like I said, she’s pretty much held things together for everybody. I’m sure the teachers feel that way too because she’s been pretty helpful for getting them information as well as for me. And I would like to propose, like a thousand dollar bonus,” explained Amundson.

Even after hearing the explanation for the proposal, the district clerk didn’t feel comfortable accepting, stating “Just saying that is thanks enough. I don’t really need any more money.”

School board member Ryan Fast continued to stress the desire to recognize her for her hard work. “We’ve tried in the past and you said no because nobody else was getting one and you said maybe if the mill levy passes, as I recall,” he stated.

“I thought putting my extra payments up with the principals was enough, honestly,” the district clerk responded. “I would prefer what I proposed.”

The committee voted and agreed to recommend at the next board meeting on the proposal presented of the wage being $57,776 for the 2020-2021 school year. The suggestion of the $1,000 bonus was not brought to a motion for recommendation due to respecting the wishes of the district clerk. “Third year she has turned us down,” stated Amundson.

After the negotiations with the district clerk were voted on, the committee and the superintendent met in a closed session to conduct a mid-year review, and then wages for the superintendent for the 2020-2021 school year were discussed.

After reviewing the proposal that was sent to the committee by the Superintendent, discussion was had regarding the ability to work anywhere outside of the district office and having the language in the contract to support remote work, utilizing his personal cell phone for business purposes while having the cost reimbursed as well as the superintendent’s wage for the 2020-2021 school year.

“I have my own cell phone and I’ve been using my own cell phone. I’ve tried to go over to Verizon and get the other cell phone, worked around and everything like that, but it’s Mr. Connor’s Apple ID and everything like that and I can’t get that. I don’t really want to carry two cell phones. I will if you want me to, but what I would like is if the district would just pay for a cell phone,” explained Superintendent Sundby. “I’ve had my cell phone number for a long, long time... I would like to keep my phone number.”

It was determined the superintendent and district clerk would work together to determine the amount of reimbursement, whether on a monthly or yearly basis, in order to allow the superintendent to utilize his cell phone instead of the district purchasing a new one.

The last piece of discussion was the salary wage for the 2020-2021 school year. Superintendent Sundby proposed a 12 percent wage, which would have made his salary $112,000. After discussions, the school board proposed a 10 percent wage increase to bring to the school board meeting on July 8, making his wage increase the biggest percentage when compared to teachers, classified staff, classified supervisors and principals who all received a 3.75 percent raise last month.

That 3.75 percent raise also shifts the entire staff matrix applying the raise evenly. The highest salary aside from Sundby is the Irle School principal who receives $93,071, the Irle assistant principal receives $70,886, the middle school principal receives $88,257 and the high school principal receives $84,245.

In addition to the wage recommendations for both the district clerk and the superintendent, recommendations to approve added contract language to allow for the ability to work from a home-based work site and extend the Superintendent’s contract by an additional two years, through 2023.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for July 8, at 6 p.m. in the District Board Room.