Tag Archives: board meeting

Denair Trustees Approve 4% Pay Increases

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Trustees in the Denair Unified School District enthusiastically approved across-the-board 4% pay increases Thursday night, yet another sign the district’s financial recovery plan is paying dividends.

The raises are retroactive to July 1 and will be reflected in employees’ November paychecks. They add $534,113 to the cost of pay and benefits this budget year. It is money well spent, trustees say.

“If it’s there, we want to give it back,” said Trustee Robert Hodges of the money for the pay increases. The additional funds are the result of unexpectedly strong enrollment growth this year.

Denair was forced to slash salaries and staffing in 2013 when it faced a fiscal crisis due to declining enrollment and reduced state payments. Salaries for classified staff shrunk by 12%; pay for teachers and administrators was cut 8%. Some employees were laid off. The Stanislaus County Office of Education stepped in to provide temporary financial oversight.

Thursday’s move comes a month after trustees granted one-time payments of 2.37% of the salaries of all teachers who were on staff in 2015-16. Classified staff received identical bonuses earlier this year. In addition, all employees received 1% raises in the spring.

“The hope is the restoration will be ongoing,” said board President Sandi Dirkse.

Teachers in Denair can earn to $79,119 in addition to stipends for coaching or having a master’s degree. Principals can make up to $96,915, depending upon experience. Classified managers can earn up to $76,138 while non-salaried employees are paid up to $23.99 per hour.

Trustees voted 4-0 for the salary increases, with Kathi Dunham-Filson absent, after an optimistic budget report from Chief Business Officer  Linda Covello that projects the district will be on sound fiscal footing for at least the next three years.

“It’s the strongest financial position Denair Unified has been in in many years,” said Superintendent Aaron Rosander. Continue reading “Denair Trustees Approve 4% Pay Increases” »

Denair Unified Trustees Approve 2.37% Bonuses for Teachers

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The road to financial recovery took a satisfying turn at Thursday night’s special meeting of the Denair Unified School District board. Trustees approved a 2.37% bonus for all teachers who were on staff in 2015-16, the first step toward restoring painful salary cuts enacted three years ago.

The one-time payment matches bonuses given to classified staff earlier this year.

Thursday’s unanimous decision affects the 65 teachers and school counselors who worked in the district last year – including those who retired or took jobs in other districts this year. The bonuses will be distributed this month and will cost the district $110,861 – money board members and Superintendent Aaron Rosander were delighted to share.

“We owe a big debt of gratitude to all our employees,” Rosander said. “They’ve all been working hard to reposition and recast our district in our community. And it’s working. Now we’re gaining more people because our programs are powerful. And I think the best is yet to come. You can see that we’ve turned the corner.”

When Rosander arrived in February 2014, the district and its employees were reeling from a one-two financial punch of declining enrollment and reduced state funding. Salaries for classified staff were slashed 12%; pay for teachers and administrators was cut 8%. Some employees were laid off.

Enrollment, which peaked at about 1,600 students in 2008, had been steadily eroding and bottomed out at 1,294 children in 2014-15.

“Declining enrollment will bring you to your knees. It will choke you,” Rosander said Thursday night. “The budget gets tighter and tighter. That was the piece that was really vexing to our district.”

Rosander and Chief Business Officer Linda Covello initiated a financial recovery program that maximized the use of so-called “restricted” funds to pay for people, programs and equipment while reducing the burden on the general fund. The district’s food program was revamped, turning a $100,000 drain on the budget into a money-maker. Rosander said “powerful interventions” lowered how many students were assigned to special education programs that are required by the state but not fully funded. Continue reading “Denair Unified Trustees Approve 2.37% Bonuses for Teachers” »

Bottom Line in Denair: More Students Than Expected Will Lead to Pay Raises for Staff

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The shared satisfaction associated with growing enrollment in the Denair Unified School District this year led to a frank discussion between teachers and trustees at Thursday night’s board meeting: When will the extra money tied to more students lead to more pay for staff?

Board members and administrators were adamant that teachers and classified staff who took pay cuts of 8% or more in 2013 as the district faced financial crisis are in line for unspecified raises. But the leaders also cautioned that it will be at least until October – when 2016-17 enrollment is locked in by the state – before they can begin to analyze how much they can afford to add to paychecks and when.

The district has 1,306 students on its four campuses, well above the 1,243 anticipated in this year’s budget. Under the state’s funding formula, each student is worth about $8,000 in average daily attendance (ADA), the primary funding mechanism for public schools.

Knowing that, about a dozen teachers attended Thursday’s meeting to lobby for salary restoration. Their request led to assurances from Superintendent Aaron Rosander and Board President Sandi Dirkse that more money will be shared with all employees.

“The plan is to restore. As the enrollment grows and ADA increases, my recommendation to the board will be to restore salaries,” Rosander said.

Dirkse was passionate in her acknowledgment of the financial sacrifices made by staff, saying: “It is absolutely our desire to see salaries restored. We understand that the district is nothing without our teachers. It’s absolutely our priority. As soon as we see that ongoing money, it’s yours. When we have the money, we want you to have it. We want to see that everyone across all salary schedules is restored.” Continue reading “Bottom Line in Denair: More Students Than Expected Will Lead to Pay Raises for Staff” »

Across-the-Board Enrollment Gains at Denair Schools Highlight Exciting First Day of Class

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The first day of classes went off without a hitch at Denair Unified’s four campuses Thursday. “Phenomenal” and “great” were among the words excited principals used to describe what happened.

And then the day got even better.

Denair trustees learned Thursday night that enrollment – which has been declining for more than five years – is up dramatically from last year and, most importantly, is significantly higher than what was planned for in the 2016-17 budget.

At Denair High School, which has seen the sharpest declines, there were 279 students Thursday. That’s up 35 students from the budget and 10 more than last year.

At Denair Middle School, there were 22 more students than the budget anticipated. The same was true at Denair Elementary Charter Academy, which has been in growth mode the past two years … and still had 27 more students than were budgeted.

The news also was positive at Denair Charter Academy, which had 225 home-school and independent study students enrolled Thursday. It typically adds students throughout the year and likely will end up with more than 300 later this fall.

In all, Denair had 1,306 students on its campuses Thursday, well above the budget forecast of 1,249.

The mood was buoyant in the board room. After three years of salary cuts and downsizing directly related to declining enrollment, Thursday was the most encouraging sign yet that the district has turned the corner. With the state providing about $8,000 in funding per student, having 84 more than expected is a nice “problem” to have.

“We actually saw enrollment coming in over the summer. It was gradual, but every couple of days it was getting better,” said Linda Covello, the district’s chief business officer. “Today was amazing.” Continue reading “Across-the-Board Enrollment Gains at Denair Schools Highlight Exciting First Day of Class” »

New Ag, Drama, Math and English Courses Unveiled for DHS Students

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Denair High School School students interested in ag or drama will have new electives from which to choose in the upcoming school year, Denair Unified School District trustees decided Thursday night. Adjustments also were made to math and English curriculum, and a second piece put in place for a criminal justice pathway for students interested in law enforcement as a career.

Board members heard an overview of the new courses from Cherie Gresham, the counselor at the high school. Among the highlights:

  • A beefed up menu of ag electives, all intended to quality for college-level credit for students who want to attend Modesto Junior College after graduation. A new welding class will follow two courses in ag mechanics, with hopes of adding an advanced welding class in the near future. A floral design II class to introduce higher-level concepts, Gresham said. An introduction to animal science course. And, finally, an elective on agricultural leadership and skills, which excited Trustee Ray Prock Jr. “I could see it developing into a marketing or ag communications class. I don’t think there’s any other high school around here that offers that,” he said.
  • An elective in drama. “We had a ton of interest in it,” Gresham explained. “We had a bunch of kids already in the Drama Club.”
  • In mathematics, accommodations were made for students who have struggled with algebra. Gresham said for incoming freshmen identified as needing additional attention, algebra will be split into integrated math 1A and integrated math 1B – each a yearlong course that allows them to learn “at a slow pace.” Because the combined classes will count only as one year toward the three years of math needed to graduate, these students also will have to take math classes through their senior years. In addition, a course called integrated math II will replace geometry. It includes elements of geometry, probability and proportional reasoning, quadratic functions and solving equations.
  • In English, a pre-AP course was added specifically for sophomores to better prepare them for the Advanced Placement class they can take as juniors or seniors. “With the pre-AP, we’re giving them a taste of what’s expected and they’ll know whether they’re ready to jump into it,” Gresham explained. “We found this year that some of our students weren’t as prepared as they needed to be for the rigorous coursework.”
  • Trustees were excited to learn about plans to expand the criminal justice choices to as many as four classes, creating what is known as a “pathway.” An introductory course was unveiled in 2015-16 for sophomores, juniors and seniors to consider as an elective. This year, a class in patrol procedures will be added for students at all grade levels. Two additional classes – intro to criminal justice and administration of justice – are envisioned in future years.

Continue reading “New Ag, Drama, Math and English Courses Unveiled for DHS Students” »