R-2 board approves salary schedule revision, back pays longevity educator

BY Roxie Murphy

Assistant Editor

rmurphy@wardpub.com

BELLE — A salary schedule revision was approved by the Maries County R-2 Board of Education on March 25 after Superintendent Dr. Lenice Basham discovered the February salary increases excluded a 40-year educator.

“We found after the last time we did the salary schedule that we have one employee who has not received a raise in five years because the salary schedule had maxed out,” Basham informed the board. “As you can see, it stopped at 35 years so that’s the maximum salary she could get. So for the last five years or so, it’s been, not really the last five years but the five years before that because we have added one since I’ve been here  — she’ll be at 40 years next year.

Basham asked the board to revise the salary schedule to allow the teacher to receive a raise.

Board President Kenda Sanders asked why the teacher had never said anything.

“Did she just never say anything?” Sanders asked.

Basham said she knew how the salary schedule was and thought that was just the way it would be.

Member Joey Butler II said he’d be in favor of approving the $4,000 she missed out on during the five years she didn’t receive raises.

“Is that what it is?” Sanders asked.

Basham said she recommends bumping the teacher’s salary to where it would have been if she’d received raises over the last five years, bringing her to 40 years instead of 36 years on the salary schedule.

“I mean, bump it up to there, but also back pay,” Butler clarified.

“Yes, that is our plan, to pay her next year for everything she has missed,” Basham said. “Her salary schedule next year will be based on year 40, not year 36.”

Butler said they should bump her up to year 40, but then give her the $4,000 in back pay as well.

“That needs to be two different motions,” Basham said. “The first motion is to approve the revised salary schedule and the second is to approve back pay.”

Paul Shanks asked if she was the only teacher who was affected and Basham confirmed she was the only teacher who’s still currently working at 40 years.

Butler made the motion to give the teacher back pay, which passed with a 7-0 vote. He also voted to update the salary schedule, which passed with all in favor.

In other business, the district has the following certified staff positions open: high school history, middle school counselor, gifted, fourth grade, fifth grade, seventh and eighth-grade math, and special education director.

The fourth-grade teacher, middle school counselor and high school history teacher positions are currently being filled by critical shortage employees.

The board acknowledged resignation letters from Trinidi Medlock, Ashley Spindler, Erin Bonham, and Eric Helmig effective at the end of the 2024-25 school year.