Board

approves

contracts

Discusses future of technology

director's job

By KREMENA TODOROVA

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- The District 88 Board of Education on Thursday approved contracts with the business manager, curriculum, instruction and personnel director and the activities director, as part of a series of agreements with unionized and non-unionized employees.

The contract of Business Manager Donna Luhring spells out a salary increase of 2.5 per cent for this fiscal year and a raise of 1.75 per cent for next year.

Coupled with medical insurance match adjustments, Luhring's contract translates into a 3.74 per cent increase in district costs for this year and a 4.18 per cent increase next year -- or a combined 7.92 per cent.

Luhring also received "a comparative worth" adjustment for each contract year, intended to bring her salary more into line with those of people holding similar positions elsewhere.

That adjustment was not factored into the reported cost increase of her contract.

She was the only employee whose contract was adjusted to reflect "comparative worth."

In turn, Curriculum Director Bill Sprung received a 2.5 salary increase for this year and a 1.75 increase for next year.

His contract resulted in increases in district costs of 4.05 per cent this year and 3.93 per cent next year, for a combined 7.98 per cent.

Activities Director Mark Woodbury, whose contract is one-year, received a salary increase of 2 per cent.

His contract resulted in an increase of district costs of 3.82 per cent.

In addition, the district reserved the right to assign Woodbury to classroom duties.

All three administrators' in-town mileage allowances were rolled into their salaries.

*As part of its non-action, or "dialogue," agenda, the board considered the restructuring of the technology director's position, following the announced retirement of Technology Director Jim Aufderheide as of June 30.

Superintendent Harold Remme suggested that the district should restructure the technology director's duties and reassign them to several people, rather than replacing him full or part-time, or allowing each building to function independently.

Remme suggested that the district should create a department chair position and form a technology committee. They would be responsible for building a "vision" and providing districtwide technology planning and coordination.

He proposed that day-to-day technology-related "office management" duties be assigned to a person in the technology office, and that "problem-solving and crash recovery," as well as miscellaneous duties be spread among current tech office, media, business office or other staff.

Remme proposed that this arrangement be tried out for two years and then re-examined by the board.

He indicated he sees it as a way to save money and ward off the potential need for cuts in the technology office at a future date.

Board members asked for more time to consider the proposal, expressing concern about losing the district's "overall technology vision," the potential handling of specific "behind-the-scenes" tech problems that may require special expertise, and the increase in duties for various staff.