Gilman school board OKs 3% raises for staff

Teachers, paraprofessionals and other staff in the Gilman School District will all get a 3 percent raise next school year, and substitute employees will also see an increase in their pay after the school board voted Monday to approve staff compensation levels for 2024-2025.

On the advice of administrator Walter Leipart, the board agreed to raise staff salaries by a percentage that’s slightly under the Consumer Price Index predicted for September of this year. Leipart said the CPI, which is used to measure inflation, is expected to be 4.12 percent when new contracts take effect in July but then dip to 3.61 percent by September.

At the 3 percent increase, Leipart said the district will pay teachers a combined total of $54,453 more next school year, with teachers seeing an average raise of $1,723. For paraprofessionals, the average raise will be $643, for a cumulative total of $26,510.

“This is something we can budget,” he told the board. Leipart said going with a 3.61 increase would have added another $11,000 in payroll costs next school year, but looking ahead into future years, the compounded impact of raising the base pay by that percentage would have made it more difficult to stay within the district’s budget.

The board also approved $3-per-hour raises for substitute cooks and paraprofessionals, from $12 to $15, and the same for substitute custodians, from $13 to $16 per hour.

“Our cooks and custodians are getting more and more difficult to find,” Leipart said.

Also, district employees paid for by Fund 80 (Community Fund), such as the fitness coordinator and community education director, will see their hourly wages rise from $13.06 to $15.

To stay competitive with neighboring districts, the board also approved an increase in pay for substitute teachers, from $135 to $140 per day.

“We have districts in our region that are paying $160 a day, and if you go down to Eau Claire or Menomonie, they’re paying $180 a day,” he said. “It’s getting to the point where it’s worth their while to travel to get a better rate.”

Other business

 Approved the purchase of a new reading curriculum, Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA), through the Amplify program, at a cost of $11,437 for three years. Leipart said CKLA, which focuses on language comprehension and word recognition, was recommended by the district’s teaching staff after they researched the material and observed it being taught in Cornell. CKLA is also on the list of DPI-approved literacy curriculums, he noted.

 Accepted the resignations of kitchen aid Taylor Henrichs and eSucceed teacher Amanda Shelton, and approved the retirement of fifth-grade teacher Brenda Vitcenda-Moore (formerly Thompson). For the upcoming school year, Leipart will be looking to hire a special education teacher and a guidance counselor, who may possibly also serve as a “mental health navigator” for students. Part-time Spanish teacher Nicole Butler is currently filling the navigator role, providing students with “someone they can talk to when they have a challenge in the building,” he said.

 Voted to keep the district’s school fees the same for 2024-2025, with students paying $225 for driver’s education, $30 for sports (not to exceed $120 per family) and $20 for high school dues.

 Voted to not increase the cost of school meals for the 2024-2025 school year.

 Accepted 27 applications for students wanting to open enroll into the district for 2024-2025, including seven at the K-12 building and 20 attending online via eSucceed Virtual School. Another four applications for students open enrolling out of the district were also approved.

 Approved a new three-year transportation contract for local busing contractors, with a 3 percent increase in rates, from $3.95 to $4.07 per mile, for the 20242025 school year. The layover rate will stay at $15.83 per hour for drivers. Board member Darrell Thompson voted against the motion, and board members Valorie Kulesa and Jessica Wisocky abstained.

Leipart noted that one bus route always has more miles to cover than the other four, just because of the geography of the district’s boundaries.

“We do our best to balance the routes, but that’s getting harder to be honest,” he said, noting that buses have to travel all the way to Jump River and Lublin and halfway to Medford and Cornell. “There’s always one that’s going to have a lot more miles.”

 Approved a new plants and soil science class that will count towards students’ science credits. Now that the board has approved the new class, Leipart said the DPI can also give its approval for the course to start in 2024-2025.

 After meeting in closed session, the board selected Jason Weir as the Volunteer of the Year for his service to local youth and community through the Gilman Pirate Archery Club, Little Hills Youth Hunts, and the Vault Village (formerly Hidden Treasures).