Days Shaved From Contracts For Some Teachers, Aides

ROGERS — Not all contracts that went out Wednesday to Rogers School District staff will offer the same pay as last year.

Base salaries didn't change when the board reviewed the salary schedule last month, but the number of contract days was decreased for positions such as prekindergarten instructional aides, career and technical education teachers and a couple of administrators. The 24 teachers who serve as department heads at the middle and high schools also will get fewer planning hours and less compensation next year.

By The Numbers

Rogers Public Schools

• 260: Approximate weekdays in a school year

• 178: Number of days students attend school

• 230-232: Number of days top administrators in the Rogers School District are contracted

• 207 to 230: Number of days program directors are contracted

• 210-230: Number of days principals are contracted

• 192: Number of days  teachers are contracted

• 178-180: Number of days aides are contracted

Source: Staff Report

“We’re trying to be very frugal,” said Roger Hill, assistant superintendent for human resources.

The district will open a charter high school and an elementary school in the fall. More schools cost more money, and Rogers hasn't had a recent millage increase, Hill said.

Some teachers will transfer schools to fill positions, but that still means two more principals and more secretaries and support staff in addition to the expense of operating the buildings, Hill said. He estimates 80 percent of the district’s budget goes to personnel.

The change wasn't as much a cost-saving move as it was in fairness to others, said Kathy Hanlon, treasurer.

“It’s not like these days are going to make this huge windfall,” Hanlon said.

Aides in the prekindergarten program were contracted for 192 days, the same as a teacher. They were moved to 180 days, the same schedule as instructional assistants in special education, migrant instruction and English as a second language. There are 21 prekindergarten instructional aide positions, Hill said. The four positions through the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters program were trimmed from 183 days to 180 this year and 178 days next year.

Cathy Davis, the district’s early childhood director, declined to comment. The move also cut her position from 220 to 210 days.

Thirteen days were cut from the contract of Dawn Stewart, career and technical education director. Between one and four days were cut for the about 24 people who teach career skills ranging from marketing to medical professions at middle and high schools. Stewart didn't return an email message seeking comment.

Department heads will be contracted for three more days than teachers instead of five more days as they had been. Instead of two planning periods, the department heads will have only one, Hanlon said.

“A lot of it is taking your best people and putting them in front of kids more often,” Hanlon said.

Tracking exactly how much the district will save by trimming a few days out of 50 contracts is hard to detail, Hanlon said, pointing out aides and teachers affected by the change in number of days will still move up the salary scale as they gain a year of experience.

Contract pay is based on days of service. A prekindergarten instructional assistant who started last year at less than $18,000 would lose about $700, even with a step up in annual pay. An assistant who had more than 30 years service could stand to lose about $1,700 by losing 12 days out of his or her contract.

Classroom assistants in Springdale work 186 days, said Kelly Hayes, comptroller. Springdale’s salary schedule for 2013-2014 is on the agenda for next month. Changes are still under discussion, but the focus is more on teacher salaries, Hayes said.

Base salaries for Rogers instructional assistants, even with fewer contract days for the coming year, are $1,000 per person more than Springdale’ salary schedule for the same position.

Prekindergarten in Rogers is paid for through Arkansas Better Chance state funds and grants. State money has been static for years. This year, Rogers officials will look to supplement that money through federal programs aimed to assist low-income students. Those programs could also face cuts through federal budget cuts known as sequestration. No dollar figure has been provided to the district yet, Hanlon said.

“We are looking for ways to economize,” she said.

Rogers prekindergarten had more than 400 children enrolled last year, according to a summary update for the program. The prekindergarten program in Springdale has about 600 students.

“We value prekindergarten. We’re trying to keep it, which is why we’re looking at it,” Hill said.

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