At its April board meeting, the Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker School District board of education voted to offer the paraprofessional group a retirement incentive of $2,500 for the first three who decide to accept the offer.
Superintendent Bob Smith stated most of the 13 paraprofessionals in the district are eligible to take the incentive because they are at the top of the paraprofessional pay scale.
It is not certain if all three paraprofessional positions would be refilled with new employees.
“If it is necessary, there would still be savings realized in hiring new personnel,” Smith said.
To remain in compliance with the Affordable Health Care Act, Lakers is scheduling the paraprofessionals’ hours for 28-29 hours per week starting with the 2014-15 school year. Smith said. This will mean the paraprofessionals will be working four days a week. The Affordable Health Care Act’s "employer mandate" requires that all businesses with more than 50 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees provide health insurance for their full-time employees, or pay a per month "Employer Shared Responsibility Payment" on their federal tax return.
Currently, the paraprofessionals are scheduled to work 38.75 hours a week and are offered vision and dental insurance.
Smith said any paraprofessionals who take the one-time retirement incentive could come back to work for the district to fill in on those days during which there is a paraprofessional shortage.
“In the upcoming months, administrators will need to figure out how to restructure programs to remain in compliance with the guidelines,” Smith said. “None of us are happy with (this situation).”
Smith said if the district was to offer health insurance to the paraprofessional group through increased hours, it also would need to offer the same to the food service and bus driver groups. He said the district would need to use its fund balance to pay for this cost, and the district would be in a deficit situation within about four years.
As a group, the paraprofessionals said they are very disappointed about the situation. They believe it will make it tougher on the schools because of the reorganizing that will need to take place. Many paraprofessionals have been with the district for at least 20 years, and they said if the district is going to hire new people to fill in where needed, then the long-time paraprofessionals should receive a pay increase.
In other business at the board meeting, Secondary School Principal Brian Keim reported on upcoming sinking fund projects. He said a meeting with the project architect and general manager had taken place and it was discovered that the science lab and student center projects would have to be placed on hold for this summer. However, this likely will end up being a positive, he noted.
“We had hoped to package all of our major projects together for mass completion this summer, which was a pretty aggressive goal,” Keim said. “However, due to the lengthy time requirements for custom ordering of science lab components and various fixtures, our science lab and student center projects were projected to carry into next school year. Because these involve spaces that are essential for daily use, we could not risk having students return in September with things undone, so these projects will be moved to summer 2015.
“On the bright side, this will allow us to continue to research modern science labs and make sure that our facility is truly on the cutting edge. In just the past couple of years, there have been huge technological advances in lab equipment and instruction, so waiting another year to build may actually benefit our students in the end.”
For this summer, the district will be able to move ahead with some smaller projects, including locker room plumbing renovations, resurfacing of all parking lots, and updates to hallways and classroom entrances in the secondary building.
“This will provide a nice lead-in to the bigger projects next summer,” Keim said.
In August, Laker voters approved a five-year renewal of the 1-mill sinking fund.
Also during the April board meeting:
The board accepted with regret the resignation of Scott Smith as volleyball coach.
First Robotics coach and Laker High School science teacher Scott Lebsack gave a presentation, along with First Robotics team members, about the first year for the team. The team built a robot and participated in two competitions this spring. The team learned a lot and is excited about next year.
The board approved a resolution supporting the Huron Intermediate School District (HISD) general fund budget for 2014-15, as presented by HISD Superintendent Joe Murphy.
Board members approved the fall season coaching staff.
Laker school board meetings are conducted the third Monday of each month at 6 p.m. in Room 211.
Superintendent Bob Smith stated most of the 13 paraprofessionals in the district are eligible to take the incentive because they are at the top of the paraprofessional pay scale.
It is not certain if all three paraprofessional positions would be refilled with new employees.
“If it is necessary, there would still be savings realized in hiring new personnel,” Smith said.
To remain in compliance with the Affordable Health Care Act, Lakers is scheduling the paraprofessionals’ hours for 28-29 hours per week starting with the 2014-15 school year. Smith said. This will mean the paraprofessionals will be working four days a week. The Affordable Health Care Act’s "employer mandate" requires that all businesses with more than 50 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees provide health insurance for their full-time employees, or pay a per month "Employer Shared Responsibility Payment" on their federal tax return.
Currently, the paraprofessionals are scheduled to work 38.75 hours a week and are offered vision and dental insurance.
Smith said any paraprofessionals who take the one-time retirement incentive could come back to work for the district to fill in on those days during which there is a paraprofessional shortage.
“In the upcoming months, administrators will need to figure out how to restructure programs to remain in compliance with the guidelines,” Smith said. “None of us are happy with (this situation).”
Smith said if the district was to offer health insurance to the paraprofessional group through increased hours, it also would need to offer the same to the food service and bus driver groups. He said the district would need to use its fund balance to pay for this cost, and the district would be in a deficit situation within about four years.
As a group, the paraprofessionals said they are very disappointed about the situation. They believe it will make it tougher on the schools because of the reorganizing that will need to take place. Many paraprofessionals have been with the district for at least 20 years, and they said if the district is going to hire new people to fill in where needed, then the long-time paraprofessionals should receive a pay increase.
In other business at the board meeting, Secondary School Principal Brian Keim reported on upcoming sinking fund projects. He said a meeting with the project architect and general manager had taken place and it was discovered that the science lab and student center projects would have to be placed on hold for this summer. However, this likely will end up being a positive, he noted.
“We had hoped to package all of our major projects together for mass completion this summer, which was a pretty aggressive goal,” Keim said. “However, due to the lengthy time requirements for custom ordering of science lab components and various fixtures, our science lab and student center projects were projected to carry into next school year. Because these involve spaces that are essential for daily use, we could not risk having students return in September with things undone, so these projects will be moved to summer 2015.
“On the bright side, this will allow us to continue to research modern science labs and make sure that our facility is truly on the cutting edge. In just the past couple of years, there have been huge technological advances in lab equipment and instruction, so waiting another year to build may actually benefit our students in the end.”
For this summer, the district will be able to move ahead with some smaller projects, including locker room plumbing renovations, resurfacing of all parking lots, and updates to hallways and classroom entrances in the secondary building.
“This will provide a nice lead-in to the bigger projects next summer,” Keim said.
In August, Laker voters approved a five-year renewal of the 1-mill sinking fund.
Also during the April board meeting:
The board accepted with regret the resignation of Scott Smith as volleyball coach.
First Robotics coach and Laker High School science teacher Scott Lebsack gave a presentation, along with First Robotics team members, about the first year for the team. The team built a robot and participated in two competitions this spring. The team learned a lot and is excited about next year.
The board approved a resolution supporting the Huron Intermediate School District (HISD) general fund budget for 2014-15, as presented by HISD Superintendent Joe Murphy.
Board members approved the fall season coaching staff.
Laker school board meetings are conducted the third Monday of each month at 6 p.m. in Room 211.