The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

In a short meeting on Wednesday, the Wahkiakum school board approved the state legislature’s 1.9 percent cut to teacher salaries, even though they may find a way to reimburse staff for their losses.

Directors Tony Boyce, Michelle Budd and Lee Tischer voted unanimously to approve the salary schedule; Mike Quigley and Tina Schubert were absent.

The board also adopted a new $27,000 elementary school math curriculum for the elementary school.

Wahkiakum Public Utility District commission appointee, Gene Healy from Puget Island, introduced himself to the board.

The $1,217,833 salary package covers 24 teachers for the 2011-12 school year. The state district compensation schedule provides for increases for each year of experience up to the 16th year and for additional units of education attained.

Teachers who are still moving up the salary schedule as they begin their career can see an increase in wages from last year, even with the reduction. But teachers at the top of the pay scale see a decrease.

“Salaries decreased last year,” said Mary Moonen, secretary of the negotiating team. “For teachers like myself, with 28 years experience, this is quite a hit.”

“This (salary reduction) affects our retirement,” said Carol Blix, vice-president of the teacher’s negotiating team.

Following a short executive session, the board voted to approve contracts for administration with a 1.43 percent decrease. High school Principal Dan Casler will receive $75,899, K-8 Principal Theresa Libby, $83,713 and district Superintendent Garrett, $78,354.

The state prescribed a 3 percent cut for administrators, but since they don’t fund all of the administrators’ salaries in Wahkiakum, Garret plugged the reduction into the district’s administrative salary schedule to come up with the proportionate decrease, he said.

Garrett told the school board he would consider how the district might offset the cuts the legislators were giving teachers. He said he was watching other districts to see how they managed the salary reductions.

The teachers’ negotiating team also would be looking at other districts, Blix said.

The board will take up the topic at its August meeting.

Classified staff, which includes para-professionals, are facing 1.53 percent reductions, but those have not been adopted.

Garrett said if the teachers successfully negotiated to be reimbursed for the cuts, he assumed the board would likely reimburse administrators or classified staff as well.

He said, “We’re all in the same boat.”