At its March 15 meeting, the Eureka Springs school board discussed two proposed adjustments to the stipend salary schedule for teachers. The stipends are for tasks performed over and above regular teaching duties, such as coaching sports, Quiz Bowl teams, or preparing the Arkansas Comprehensive School Improvement Plan. The schedules are for work done during the current school year.
The schedule prepared by Supt. Bryan Pruitt increased the stipend total by about $400. The other prepared by the Personnel Policies Committee increased the total by $11,600. Pruitt said the PPC had not seen his recommendation.
Board member Jason Morris contended there were items on the PPC schedule that were not extra duties, rather part of the job for a teacher. He said performing a chemical inventory, for example, is required by federal and state law and should not be on the list of extra duties. He was not in favor of adding more than $11,000 to the schedule.
High school science teacher Katy Turnbaugh, representing the PPC, disagreed. She said sometimes she must come in on weekends to perform the chemical inventory. “It is a long, tough job,” she stated, “and by law someone must be responsible.” She pointed out new duties arise as laws change over time, and someone must take on extra tasks.
Board member Debbie Davis remarked dedicated teachers go beyond their job descriptions to perform these tasks, and there needs to be negotiation regarding compensation. Board member Al Larson said he would prefer Pruitt and Turnbaugh discuss the stipends further.
Board member Tina Johnson questioned the stipend for federal coordinator, for example, but Pruitt replied it is a “huge job,” and for most districts it is a separate job. Pruitt said high school principal Katherine Lavender currently performs that duty.
District treasurer Pam McGarrah said she sees teachers’ vehicles already on campus when she arrives a 7 a.m. though she did not know if teachers were there for extra duties or not. Nevertheless, she said she needed to process the stipends next month, and recommended the board approve something for this year and begin negotiating for next year. Elementary school Principal Clare Lesieur noted teachers expect the stipend check with their May paycheck.
Board members agreed the stipend schedule for a school year should be negotiated and settled in autumn.
Lesieur stated the stipends do not even touch what the teachers do, and she saw no fluff among duties listed. Davis said when she worked for the district she received a stipend as a cheerleader sponsor that amounted to maybe a dollar an hour for her efforts. Turnbaugh commented teachers want students to have these opportunities, but there would be no incentive to do the extra work if there were no stipend.
Larson eventually asked Pruitt his opinion for what the district can continue to pay, and Pruitt recommended the board accept the schedule he provided, saying he would work with the PPC on the stipend schedule for next year. Davis insisted the board get the schedule settled early in the school year.
Vote to approve Pruitt’s recommendation was unanimous.