Elmore County Schools Superintendent Richard Dennis has a new contract with Elmore County Board of Education.
Boardmembers Jason Lett, Bill Meyers, Michael Morgan, David Jones and Brian Ward voted to extend Dennis’ contract for four years, increase his pay 10% and increase his expense allowance to $2,000 per month. Dennis’ annual salary will now be $218,790.
Boardmembers Leisa Finley and Wendell Saxon abstained from the vote.
“I agree the superintendent needs additional compensation,” Saxon said. “I’m just not in agreement with the amount.”
Finley said her abstention has nothing to do with the name on the contract.
“Mr. Dennis is a great superintendent,” Finley said. “There are some things in the contract that I’m not in agreement with.”
During discussions in previous work sessions, Finley asked about a one-time payment for staff of the system. She said there is extra time between paychecks issued Dec. 20 and Jan. 31. Checks are normally issued on the last day of the month, but this month, it’ll be issued Friday as it is the last day of the work month.
The board approved a one-time payment of $500 for full-time certified staff and $250 for non-certified staff.
“(They are for) services to be rendered to our students for the remainder of the year,” Dennis said. “These services include but are not limited to a survey, upcoming testing and health concerns. This payment is to show our employees that we value the services that they will provide to students, parents and other stakeholders in the community.”
Dennis, chief schools financial officer Jason Mann and members of the school board are not receiving a payment. The total cost of the payment is approximately $670,000.
Additionally, Holtville High School baseball coach Scott Tubbs now has an incentive package consisting of private funds on top of the incentives paid by the school board for winning a state championship.
The Holtville High School RBI is a booster club for the baseball program. The board approved a package using funds from the organization which are private. It is similar to incentives through booster programs for coaches at other schools in Elmore County.
It is a one-year program and can be extended and terms changed based on the booster club’s funding.
For the next season Tubbs will earn $500 for an area championship, $500 for a first-round playoff win, $500 for a second-round playoff win, $1,000 for a third-round playoff win, $1,500 for a semifinal win and $2,000 for a state championship.
The maximum payout for the next season is $6,000.
The board also approved bids for three different construction projects — $$280,749 to reroof Airport Road Intermediate School and $4,151,000 for construction of a new security entrance at Wetumpka Elementary School and a new diesel mechanic shop next door at Elmore County Technical Center. The school system has received $2 million in grants from the state to aid in these projects.
The board recognized staff for being named the best in the district for the year at what they do. Holtville High School principal Sean Kreauter was recognized as district high school principal of the year. Wetumpka Middle School principal Loukisha Brooks was recognized as district middle school principal of the year. Wetumpka Middle School assistant principal April Emmanuel was recognized as middle school assistant principal of the year. Airport Road Intermediate School secretary LaSonay Raife was recognized as district elementary school secretary of the year.
In other action the Elmore County Board of Education:
• Approved minutes of the Nov. 19, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10 meetings.
• Approved monthly financials for September, October and November.
• Approved facility use agreements and a memorandum of understanding with the City of Wetumpka related to using facilities because of the construction of quality of life projects in Eclectic, Holtville and Tallassee.
• Approved a resolution honoring Janice Grayson Brooks who was the first African American to graduate from an integrated Wetumpka High School.
The meeting of the Elmore County Board of Education is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Jan. 21.