Potential salary increases pondered by school board

A review of salary data from other BOCES schools led discussion for potential certified staff salary increases for 2021-22 for Holyoke School District at the board’s March 23 meeting.

Superintendent Kyle Stumpf and Director of Budget and Finance Ben Rahe were seeking direction from the board as to what to propose for salaries for 2021-22.

With a 2020-21 base salary of $34,173 for certified staff members with a Bachelor of Arts degree, it was noted that the district is at the top of the base salary schedule for four-day school week districts.

Comparable daily rates led board members to question what it would take to increase the district’s $208 daily rate to $212 to climb to the top of that rate in the area.

Rahe cited another $600, which would be approximately 2% on the base salary. Additionally, everyone would jump a $500 step for a year’s experience for about a $1,100 increase.

Both Rahe and Stumpf referenced the importance of never funding anything long-term with short-term money such as rural money that the district will be receiving for the next couple of years.

With assurance that it could be feasible, the board agreed they would like to see where a 2% increase breaks down in salary consideration.

Stumpf reported on a call received from a teacher expressing interest in an interview based on the district’s four-day week plan for next year.

BEST construction, energy performance work updated

The Building Excellent Schools Today project and energy performance work are on track at this point, reported Stumpf at last week’s meeting.

He noted that they were able to complete the abatement during spring break and everything went relatively smoothly.

Steel is to be ordered to reinforce some of the locker area in the junior high locker room, and coaches were talked to with regard to locker samples and arrangment for lockers. Both the steel and locker costs came in under budget.

Stumpf explained that the new JH lockers are larger than the previous ones. They are 18 inches wide by 22 inches deep by 36 inches tall. HS lockers also include those that are 72 inches tall. There are different configurations with regard to placing the half-size and full-size lockers.

Demolition will tentatively start May 10 with the possibility of doing locker room and entryway demolition. Stumpf said they got demo permits to start in the elevator area in the HS commons area May 10.

Project manager Ryan Smelker plans to be at an April board meeting either in person or virtually to further explain project details.

Stumpf will also ask activities director John Baumgartner to have an update with regard to the delayed Season D for baseball and track and whether the baseball season overlap impacts city recreation programs.

A crew from Texas arrived in the district March 16 and completed a majority of the wall mounts and temperature controls in the energy performance project, according to Stumpf.

Starting in April, they will be doing some boiler and air conditioning reconditioning, he added.

2 teachers hired

Emily Krogmeier and Kali Hines were hired for elementary music and JR/SR high science teaching positions, respectively, at last week’s board meeting.

Krogmeier, a Holyoke High School graduate, will earn her bachelor’s degree in music education from Colorado State University in May.

She has completed her student teaching in the Boulder Valley School District and will continue student teaching through the remainder of this school year. She will be able to work with current music teacher Marcia Dalton through the end of the school year and continue collaboration with her next year.

Hines grew up in Burlington and has been teaching math and computer science classes at Widefield High School in Colorado Springs.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 7-12 math and a Bachelor of Arts in K-12 physical education, as well as a Master of Arts in math and science education, all from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Hines’ husband was hired at the previous board meeting as the new counselor at Holyoke Elementary School.

Other business

In other business at the March 23 meeting, the school board:

— Discussed needed repairs at the district house and agreed that a designated amount should be included in the capital project list each year for the next four or five years. That amount could be $10,000 or $20,000, depending on what the specific project for that year entails.

­— Confirmed the April board meeting dates for Thursday, April 8, and Tuesday, April 20.