Schools

D161 Renews Admin. Contracts with Zero Salary Increase

Supt. Barb Rains' contract comes up for renewal March 27.

After a closed-door executive session Wednesday, the Summit Hill District 161 Board of Education voted 6-1 to renew for one year the contracts for all administrators with the exception of who is completing her first full school year in the position. Administrators did not receive a salary increase in their contract for the second year in a row.  

Board President Mary Kenny said Rains requested that her contract, which expires June 30, be addressed separately from the other administrators. The contract discussion is scheduled for discussion at the next board meeting on March 27.

Kenny did not reveal why Rains requested a two-week delay.

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Rains was officially hired as the district's permanent superintendent in December of 2011, after serving as acting superintendent for almost six months following the abrupt retirement of Keith Pain. Rains had previously been the district's human resources director under Pain.

The hiring process came under fire from parents and some board members when it was decided the district wouldn't hire a search firm to find a new superintendent.

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If Rains' contract is addressed at the next board meeting, the decision will come days before April's election, which will change the face of the board. Four seats will be up for a vote, and the current members holding them—Kenny, Board Vice President Joy Murphy, Board Secretary Denise Lenz and board member Denise Wildeveld—are not running for re-election.

Board member Sean William Doyle made a motion to amend the contract approvals so it would include Rains, whose evaluation was completed that night. Doyle also said he was dissatisfied with the reduction of benefits in the overall administrative contract.

Not only are administrators going without a raise for the second year in a row, "this is actually a pay cut," said Doyle.

The administrators are the only ones being singled out for a decrease in insurance benefits, said Doyle. Neither the non-certified staff nor the teachers have seen the same reductions.  

He also suggested that the board was putting the cart before the horse by renewing the administrative contracts before negotiating a new teachers' agreement.

The general practice is to approve administrative contracts after the board completes teacher negotiations. Then the district has a more complete financial picture, he said. 

Doyle's amendment did not receive a second motion and was not voted on.

In an interview Thursday with Patch, Kenny said the timing for the administrative contract renewal was intentional. The current teachers' contract was for five years. It expires at the end of the school year.

The zero increase in administrative salaries sends a message to teachers, Kenny said. "So they know going into negotiations that we don't have any money, and we're serious. We still have a budget deficit of $600,000 to $700,000."

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