MANDATA - Line Mountain School District's Act 93 administrative team was approved for more than $32,000 in salary increases Tuesday night after two years of salary freezes.
The raises for the 2013-14 school year were a result of employees taking on more duties and an attempt to keep the district competitive when compared to other local school districts, school board President Troy Laudenslager said Thursday.
"In the previous two years, there have been a lot of changes in the district. It was the proper time to get things where they needed to be," he said.
Last year, Line Mountain ranked 15th out of 17 school districts in the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU) for administrative employees, Laudenslager said.
Line Mountain spent $588,000 compared to Berwick Area School District spending $1.1 million. The average in the CSIU was $802,000.
With the Act 93 increases combined with Superintendent Dave Campbell's $3,000 increase and business manager Phil Curran's salary, the district is now spending $623,119. Campbell and Curran, who have separate individual contracts, are not considered Act 93 employees.
"We're still not up with the average, but it makes us a little more competitive in order to keep quality administrators," Laudenslager said.
The total increases approved for the Act 93 employees totaled $32,119. Laudenslager said the increases were a flat increase based on performance and comparing each position's salary with other school districts.
The highest increase was approved for Keith Harro, network administrator, whose salary increased $9,000 from $56,000 to $65,000.
High school Principal Jeffrey Roadcap increased $4,059 from $82,941 to $87,000; elementary school Principal Jeanne Menko increased $4,408 from $74,592 to $79,000; dean of students/athletic director Jeffrey Lagerman increased $2,990 from $69,010 to $72,000; director of special education Amy Dunn increased $7,174 from $69,826 to $77,000; school psychologist David Makowski increased $2,200 from $56,800 to $59,000; and director of plant and operations Timothy Lagerman increased $2,288 from $57,712 to $60,000.
The salary increases were unanimously approved 9-0 in a block of personnel items with director David Scott Bartholomew making the motion and director Lamont Masser seconding it.
Campbell's salary, which does not require additional approval, increased this school year by $3,000 from $103,000 to $106,000. Curran's salary at $74,137 did not change.
The board is expected to approve a new agreement with Act 93 employees at the Sept. 10 regular meeting. The agreement will be retroactive to July 1, 2013, and will expire June 30, 2018.
If it is approved, future salary increases will be based on performance. If Act 93 employees are evaluated at the end of the year as distinguished, they will receive a raise of $2,500. If they are evaluated as proficient, it will be $1,500. If they are evaluated as unsatisfactory or in need of improvement, the employees will not see a salary increase that year.
Details on fringe benefits such as health care and pension will be revealed at the next meeting.