Stratford teachers will get highest percentage of pay
The Stratford Board of Education last Wednesday approved a 5.25 percent increase in pay for teachers next school year, which is the highest in The Record Review’s coverage area.
Stratford’s teacher pay raise is slightly larger than Edgar’s which is giving its teachers a 5.20 percent increase. Both Stratford and Edgar are giving their school district support staff a $1 raise in pay next school year. School district support staff consists of secretaries, custodians, teacher aides and food service workers.
Marathon School District teachers will gain a 4.8 percent increase in pay next school year while Athens School District employees are under a wage freeze.
In other school news:
The Stratford School Board met in closed session before reconvening into open session to revise the contracts for dean of students/activities director Craig Martens and schools superintendent Dr. Nathan Lehman. The school board also approved a conditional contingency contract for the school district business manager. Rod Huther, Stratford School District business manager, is retiring at the end of this school year.
Two Stratford School District residents, Travis Skroch and Elaine Forrest, spoke during the public comments period of the meeting.
Skroch asked the school board to explain the school district budget line items to the public in the future. Forrest requested the school board also have a code of conduct and ethics that each member would need to sign. She researched the Marshfield and Mosinee school district who both have similar code of conduct and ethics for their school boards.
The school board approved the hiring of Stratford Elementary School third grade teacher Tianna Borchardt next school year to replace Lisa Pietrowski who is retiring at the end of this school year. Borchardt has been a third grade teacher at Athens Elementary School.
Lehman told the school board how the district plans to use its $990,000 operational referendum money it will begin receiving next school year and every year thereafter. He said next year the school district plans to transfer this money into its debt service which helps keep the school district’s mil rate lower.
Lehman said the school district’s mil rate of $7.52 this school year will only slightly increase to $7.82 next school year. He estimates the mil rate will increase by 30 cents each of the two following school years. Stratford School District still projects to have a budget deficit of $375,000 in the 2025-26 school year.
The Stratford Youth Baseball Club will donate $40,000 to the school district for a project that would give the varsity baseball diamond a new padded backdrop behind home plate and a net behind the backdrop that will be 25 feet tall for safety. The project is estimated to be completed in September of this year.
School board members agreed to have the Stratford School District partner with Wisconsin Virtual School, along with its current partnership with Rural Virtual Academy.
