The Sedona-Oak Creek School District governing board approved a budget that will get teachers and staff more money.
At the Thursday, July 10, meeting the district’s new business manager, Jeff Walker, Ph.D., presented the fiscal year 2008-09 budget for $9,240,018, a 2.4 percent increase from last year.
The board approved to cap the budget, 4-0.
By Alison Ecklund
Larson Newspapers
The Sedona-Oak Creek School District governing board approved a budget that will get teachers and staff more money.
At the Thursday, July 10, meeting the district’s new business manager, Jeff Walker, Ph.D., presented the fiscal year 2008-09 budget for $9,240,018, a 2.4 percent increase from last year.
The board approved to cap the budget, 4-0.
Walker expects the budget to drop $25,000 in September because of a decrease in student population, mostly at Sedona Red Rock High School.
A decrease in students equals a decrease in funding from the state.
This year’s budget allows teachers to move a step on their salary schedule — about a $930 per year increase.
Each cell on the salary schedule increases based on two categories: experience and education. One way teachers can increase their step is by pursuing or receiving a master’s degree.
Although teachers are each moving a step to receive a pay raise this year, there was not an increase per cell, which there should be, Walker said.
A second-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree may move from step 2 at $28,178 to step 3 at $29,108. Ideally, however, both steps should have increased first, which they didn’t this year, he said.
Last year, teachers’ steps did increase permanently by $337 a year, but teachers remained in their steps.
Support staff will also move a step this year, and the $337 raise from last year was built permanently into their schedule, giving them a $0.16 per hour raise.
Walker was able to move teachers and support up a step this year due to a combination of three things — cuts, new money from the state and retiring teachers.
“With budget limits you only have so much room, so how do you get more money?” Walker asked. “You have to cut somewhere.”
Another way to increase revenues is to get more students, he said.
About $130,000 of cuts were made in the district this year. One custodian position was cut from SRRHS; one custodian and one teaching position were cut from West Sedona School; and the equivalent of one part-time position was cut from the district office.
The second way Walker was able to fund salary increases was through $120,000 of new money from the state.
Currently Arizona gives about $3,500 per student per year, Walker explained. By federal law, that total should go up 2 percent every year, which amounted to $120,000 for the district this year.
Also, by replacing retiring teachers with teachers who earn less — based on experience, the district was able to give the teachers their raises, Walker explained.
Walker also credits interim Superintendent Nancy Alexander, Ph.D., for finding a lot of little funds to pay for things, in order to free up the general funds and get more money to teachers.
Walker also discovered money that had just been sitting around in other funds: $53,715 was set in litigation recovery and last year’s general fund budgeted $20,000 for attorneys, Walker explained.
This year, $10,000 was budgeted for attorneys, knowing the $53,715 is there if they
need it.
Plus, the school has legal aid insurance that allows for up to $300,000 of legal services through them.
Walker couldn’t imagine the school having to use more than $300,000 on legal fees, he said, citing Superintendent Mike Aylstock’s philosophy.
“You don’t use lawyers unless you absolutely have to,” he said.
