Colby School board approves stipend for staff in 2021-22

The Colby school board approved a district-wide staff stipend, as well as quotes for several projects, at its June 20 meeting. The stipend shall act as a one-time bonus for staff members. Meanwhile, budget approvals will allow for the possibility of many of these projects to move forward over the summer and include updating exterior doors, high school roof repairs, HVAC system upgrades, new concrete in the softball and baseball dugouts and goalposts for the high school football field.

After a long discussion within the personnel committee, the board approved a bonus for all staff members in the district that will be returning for the 2022-23 school year. Also to receive this bonus are staff that retired this past spring. The amount of this bonus is based on a tiered service list, where staff with greater seniority will receive more, regardless of their position.

This bonus is being issued in recognition that the district did not offer a full CPI (Consumer Price Index) pay increase for staff this past year.

“The personnel committee, and the board in general, recognizes that we need to pay our people well,” superintendent Dr. Steve Kolden said. “It’s always a struggle. With a fiscal cliff coming, not knowing what state funding is going to look like next summer, I can’t leave this board with a deficit. So that’s why we came under the CPI.”

It will be a one-time bonus that the district hopes will act as a stopgap to provide additional funds for staff without committing funds the district may not have in the future. This would have been necessary with a raise to wages.

“How do you not get yourself in a fiscal hole that’s going to burn you in five years?” Kolden stated later. “If you put it on wages, then it multiplies next year if you start applying the new CPI.”

This stipend will have an overall cost of $177,250 and will be paid out as soon as practical. The funds for this will be taken from the $1.8 million ESSER III (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) fund that the district has access to as part of the state and federal governments’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It may be a struggle to spend that,” committee member David Decker said of the ESSER funds, “and we can spend it on staff. So why wouldn’t we try to recognize what the staff has done over the last two-anda- half, three years? My push was, let’s do something we know will not hurt us long term while we can still utilize the funds that are available to us right now.”

Projects

Many of the projects proposed to the board involve much needed repairs or updates to keep the school buildings in compliance with safety and accessibility standards.

One such project is to bring the high and middle schools’ exterior doors within ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations. Due to the additions of FOB locking systems on these exterior doors, the buttons that are supposed to open the doors for those using wheelchairs no longer function as intended. Additionally, the “push-and-go” systems for these doors, which should allow the doors to open and close with minimal effort from the user, are not working. The middle school doors in particular have the original compression system from when the school was built in 1996 and an upgrade is necessary to bring the doors into compliance. The total amount approved for this update was $7,300.

The board also approved to fund roof repairs not to exceed $16,100 for the high school building. Due to the way the pool addition was built onto the existing high school building, the roof between the extension and the rest of the school is now leaking. Additionally, the hallway that connects the greenhouse has continuously been a trouble spot, so further repairs are necessary there as well.

Several of the sports facilities on the campus will receive maintenance and upgrades as well.

The board approved quotes for new goalposts on the football field, though they will still be looking at installation costs and logistics. The old goalposts are to be transported to the practice field behind the high school, where there are plans to put in a standardized field with accurate dimensions. The approved costs of the entire project is not to exceed $7,500, including installation costs. The softball and baseball fields will also get much needed repairs, as the concrete in the dugouts needs to be replaced. In addition to redoing the foundations of the dugouts, there are also plans to create a more permanent solution for fan seating. Currently, the bleachers are rolled in, but the plan is to add a concrete pad so that the bleachers can be staged there at all times. The board did briefly discuss who uses the baseball field, as the varsity baseball team currently is combined with Abbotsford and the team practices and plays at Red Arrow Park. It was explained that JV baseball still uses the field if they have a game at the same time as the varsity team, as well as the Bronco summer league team.

Finally, a budget was approved for a replacement UTV to be utilized for various sports and facilities purposes. There are currently two different vehicles that are being considered for purchase. One is very similar to the current John Deere Gator model, with the main addition to the newer version being a roll cage. The other is a larger, more expensive Can-Am, which is under consideration as its larger bed will make it able to be better used to transport injured athletes. The board approved $25,000 to purchase a UTV, but neither option has been decided upon at this time.

Other business

_ Between the three schools, there are over 200 students who have been identified as English Language learners. At the moment, the district has two EL teachers to split between the buildings. In light of this, the board has decided to open a new full-time EL position to oversee the middle school. The hope is that by having one teacher dedicated to each building, their services can be better utilized when necessary.

_ The district will be partnering with Northcentral Technical College to offer support staff an opportunity to earn an Intro to Education teaching certificate. Those who enroll will need to complete the three courses in order to complete the academy and earn the certificate. This program also segues into NTC’s Foundations of Teacher Education associate’s degree, if participants want to continue their schooling.

_ The board recognized the achievements of the Colby Hornet track and field team. The team had members qualify in eleven different events and took first in two of them. Long distance coach Bryon Graun also stated that the team broke six school records over the course of the season.