Sleepy Eye administrators get 5 percent pay raise

Wilhelmi votes against salary

increases

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- The District 84 Board approved 5 percent salary hikes for administrators for the current and next school year Thursday night.

The approval came on 5-1 vote. Outgoing board member Duane Wilhelmi cast the dissenting vote after a lengthy debate.

Elementary Principal Arla Dokter will get a salary of about $60,186 this year and $63,195 next school year.

High School Principal Elia Bruggeman's pay was hiked to $57,320 this year and $60,185 for 2001-2002.

Finance Director Cindy Seifert will earn $49,350 for 2000-2001 and $51,818 next school year.

Community Education Director Pat Stevemer will get $45,150 this school year and $47,408 in 2001-2002.

Salaries may be adjusted slightly depending upon individual or group decisions regarding life insurance.

In addition, all new administrative contracts include a $100,000 life insurance policy paid for through after-tax payroll deductions.

The community ed director will receive disability insurance for the first time this year.

Principals will now be able to schedule five vacation days during each school year without approval.

All administrators will also receive three personal days each year, up a day from previous contracts.

The finance director's request to attend a national conference will now be addressed by the superintendent instead of the school board.

Wilhelmi, attending his last board meeting after six years service, was upset with the raises.

"I don't think we've ever had as little extra money as we do now," Wilhelmi said. "But we just spend more. That's not OK."

Board Member Mark Beito said the administrative raise percentages were less than non-certified staff members were given.

Wilhelmi said the board should deal with money, not percentages.

"We set a budget, cut staff, then add staff. Where will the cuts end?" Wilhelmi asked.

Other board members said they felt the raises were necessary to keep the administrators the district has. Board members said losing administrators would be more costly than keeping the current ones.

The board also:

* Unanimously approved a three-year leave-of-absence for elementary special education teacher Sue Salewski, effective at the end of this school year.

* Presented Wilhelmi with a bronze school bell for his six years of service.

* Learned that the district has approximately $7,000 less in revenue compared to last year.

Seifert said the district did not lose as many students this October as it did in past years.

* Learned that the elementary school enrollment was 335, up from 306 last year.

* Learned that high school enrollment was 323, down from 354 a year ago. Bruggeman said that five students were attending River Bend Alternative Learning full-time, four were in day treatment, and one was in alternative school independent study.

Three students are enrolled in PSEO (Post-Secondary Education Options), two full-time and one part-time.

* Approved a .42 FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) increase for the 2000-2001 school year to address crowding and curriculum issues in the high school.

Bradd Goede's Algebra II class with 41 students will be split. Other classes needing attention are English 10 with 39 students and biology and social studies with 34 students each.