Sugarcreek schools administrators freeze salaries

Superintendent says the top staffers decided to ‘take the lead’ in budget cuts.

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By Jeremy P. Kelley, Staff Writer 1:09 AM Tuesday, May 19, 2009

BELLBROOK — Sugarcreek Schools administrators on Monday, May 18, took a salary freeze for next school year as the school board gave final approval to a 5.5-mill replacement levy for the Aug. 4 ballot.

The school board had already approved a 3 percent raise for administrators — mirroring what the district’s teacher and support staff contracts call for in the fall — but the administrators asked that the board withdraw their raise.

Superintendent Keith St. Pierre said the administrators decided “to take the lead again” in the latest of several rounds of budget cutting. He said there has been no talk of reinstating administrators’ raises if the August levy passes.

The change affects the superintendent, treasurer, business manager, curriculum director, four principals and three assistant principals.

“It’s not going to be one of the biggest-ticket cuts,” school board President Elizabeth Betz said. “But it speaks to the schools and to the public that the administrators are trying whatever they can not to directly impact the kids by having to cut more teachers and programs.”

Mary Ambrose, outgoing president of Sugarcreek’s teachers union, said the union met with district administrators last week, and St. Pierre proposed a salary freeze for teachers as well.

Ambrose said union leadership will present details of that proposal to the teachers this afternoon, May 19, with a vote expected next week.

Sugarcreek Schools are in fiscal caution status, with the state due to have a $1.1 million general fund deficit projected for June 2010.

District Treasurer Kevin Liming said the elimination of the administrators’ raises will save $30,111 next year, and the school board plans to address more than $1 million in other reductions at its June 11 meeting.

A teacher and support staff pay freeze would produce a large chunk of the $1.1 million in needed cuts, but not nearly the full amount.

The board has already approved $2.1 million in cuts for this school year and next, including reductions of teachers, administrators and support staff, both through eliminating positions and not replacing retiring staff.

Betz thanked administrators for volunteering for the pay freeze, even when the cuts mean “everybody is putting on another hat.”

She didn’t push very hard for the teachers and staff to follow suit.

“This is negotiated,” Betz said of the contracts. “They have the reins to do what they feel they need to do. I understand that they already give so much effort and time.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2278 or jkelley@daytondailynews.com.

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