Warsaw teachers miffed

The  Warsaw School District plans to spend $492,000 more than it takes in during the fiscal year that starts next month.

To deal with the deficit, the Warsaw school board froze teacher salaries to save $130,000.

The district is ending this budget year with a  $487,000 surplus. But state aid declined $1.4 million, according to the new, $11.7 million budget.

Part of that decrease is explained by a 30-student drop in enrollment. Higher food and fuel prices also contributed to the budget problems, Superintendent Brett Reese said.

Teachers said Wednesday they did not know about the pay freeze until the budget was presented to the board last week.

“Our main concern was the lack of communication and we felt like we were being dumped on,” teacher RaShell Burke said.

Burke organized a meeting with Reese at Warsaw High School on Wednesday of about 70 teachers and representatives from the Missouri chapter of the National Education Association and the Missouri State Teachers Association.

Reese, superintendent for three years, spent about two hours fielding questions from the faculty.

High school teacher Mel Lampton said he heard nothing about the budget problems until after the budget was approved.

“If we’re in tough times, we need tough measures, but this is our livelihood,” he said.

Reese told The Democrat he expected to meet with faculty representatives, but never did.

“No group had ever come to me and I had never approached any groups. It had just never happened,” he said.

Teachers get raises by moving on the salary schedule based on professional development and experience, represented by vertical and lateral “steps.”

“As tough as it was for me to say no steps, I am happy to say everyone that wants to be working here next year will,” Reese said.

The board approves rehiring teachers in March, and non-tenured teachers receive contracts then. Tenured teachers do not receive contracts until July.

Reese said freezing the salary schedule was one way of dealing with the deficit, originally $1.2 million.

Property tax assessments increased $2.1 million, which will produce between $60,000 and $70,000 in new taxes, he said.

 A board meeting could be held to discuss the issue before next month’s meeting. Reese said he would discuss it with board members Wednesday night.