Mitchell school district negotiating with non-teaching employees

• Joe Graves

Joe Graves

Talk about it

The Mitchell School District is continuing to negotiate with the Mitchell Classified Education Association.

Superintendent Joe Graves and board members Brenda Freidel and Eric Christensen have been negotiating with the MCEA, which represents 150 custodians, maintenance workers, secretaries and food service workers, the school board was told Monday night during a meeting at L.B. Williams Elementary. The district’s contract, a one-year deal, expired June 30, but its language is still in effect, Graves said.

The previous contract was for three years, and both a one- and two-year deal are on the table now, the superintendent said. Pay and contract language are the major sticking points, he said.

In other agenda items, the board:

• Approved district goals for the 2012-2013 school year.

Graves said they include fully implementing the next generation of No Child Left Behind, among other things.

• Was told the district had a more than 14 percent drop in utility costs during the 2011-2012 school year, Graves said.

That is attributable to a “wonderfully warm winter” as well as some utility improvements and a drop in the price of natural gas, Graves said. He said the savings were in the tens of thousands of dollars.

The district has installed new lighting in the high school gym this summer, which will lead to even more savings, Graves said.

• Approved the following consent agenda personnel items:

New hires: Gina Marek, special education, Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary, $33,000 a year effective Sept. 5; Mary Gukeisen and Lillian Puetz as full-time Mitchell High School custodians at $10 an hour; Becky Street, part-time secretary LBW, 4.5 hours daily at $9.78 an hour, effective Aug. 20.

New hires (extracurricular): Chris Miller, assistant marching band director, for the 2012-13 school year.

Resignations: Donita Sperry, middle school cook, effective Sept. 7; Ann Reichelt, paraeducator, Longfellow Elementary, effective Sept, 11; Ashley Forst, special education instructor, GBR, effective immediately.

Non-certified salaries: Nicole Hahn, 5.5 hours daily at $17.90 an hour; Theresa Bannwarth, 5.5 hours daily at $17 an hour; Mary Crockett, 5.5 hours daily at $19 an hour; Bobbie Schelske, computer network specialist, $29,671 a year; Levi Hohn, information system technician, $44,000 a year; Mark Moore, network system technician, $39,028 a year.

Sixth class assignments, one semester: Travis Carpenter, $1,878.

Two semesters: Jeff Hoffman, $3,913; Mark Horan, $5,856; Susan Krcil, $4.017; Lori Schmidt, $5,370; Terry Aslesen, $5,887; Danielle Erdmann, $3,480; Becky Anderson, $3,625; Kristina Starr, $3,455; Michelle Mebius, $4,083; Ashley Schreurs, $3,425.

• Recognized that Clayton Gropper was named South Dakota Athletic Trainer of the Year and congratulated him for the award. “Clayton is basically indispensable to our athletic program,” said Athletic Director Geoff Gross.

• Toured L.B. Williams Elementary School, focusing on landscaping and sidewalks. The school board met in the school’s cafeteria.

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