Zachary board backs raises for employees
Print
Email
Save
Share
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Reddit
ZACHARY — The Zachary Community School Board agreed Thursday to buy property for a central office building and endorsed a pay raise for all employees next year.
The board approved purchase agreements with Teresa M. Kennedy, Hiram M. Kennedy and Corey Landry for three adjoining lots, totaling about 3.4 acres, on the northeast corner of La. 64 (Church Street) and 37th Street, contingent on the city approving a zoning change for the property.
The agreements call for the board to pay Teresa Kennedy $375,000 for her two lots, Hiram Kennedy, $165,000 for one lot, and Landry, $95,000 for a strip bordering the Kennedy property.
The school system has outgrown a small building owned by the city used as the central office since shortly after the school system was organized, Superintendent Warren Drake and Business Manager Gordon Robertson said.
Chris Pellegrin of CSRS, which manages the board’s ongoing construction program, said meetings would be held with the board’s staff to determine both immediate and future needs for space.
The board has held off building its own office because of the pressing need to add new classrooms and upgrade facilities.
In a separate Building Committee meeting Thursday, Pellegrin said that now that voters have approved a bond issue for $25 million more in construction, the board needs to develop a new, five-year construction plan.
Drake said public meetings will be held in the near future to advise the community of the projects completed or now under way and to seek input on future building plans.
The board also said it would approve pay raises at its April meeting for all employees during the next school year.
Under the plan proposed by Robertson and Personnel Director Yolanda Williams, teachers and other employees with teaching certificates would receive a $2,300 pay increase next year and support workers would receive a $1,500 pay raise for the year.
Williams said the raise would help her recruit new teachers for the 2008-09 school year.
The increase would raise a beginning teacher’s annual salary to $45,033.
The pay increases will cost $1.18 million annually, Robertson said.
The board approved purchase agreements with Teresa M. Kennedy, Hiram M. Kennedy and Corey Landry for three adjoining lots, totaling about 3.4 acres, on the northeast corner of La. 64 (Church Street) and 37th Street, contingent on the city approving a zoning change for the property.
The agreements call for the board to pay Teresa Kennedy $375,000 for her two lots, Hiram Kennedy, $165,000 for one lot, and Landry, $95,000 for a strip bordering the Kennedy property.
The school system has outgrown a small building owned by the city used as the central office since shortly after the school system was organized, Superintendent Warren Drake and Business Manager Gordon Robertson said.
Chris Pellegrin of CSRS, which manages the board’s ongoing construction program, said meetings would be held with the board’s staff to determine both immediate and future needs for space.
The board has held off building its own office because of the pressing need to add new classrooms and upgrade facilities.
In a separate Building Committee meeting Thursday, Pellegrin said that now that voters have approved a bond issue for $25 million more in construction, the board needs to develop a new, five-year construction plan.
Drake said public meetings will be held in the near future to advise the community of the projects completed or now under way and to seek input on future building plans.
The board also said it would approve pay raises at its April meeting for all employees during the next school year.
Under the plan proposed by Robertson and Personnel Director Yolanda Williams, teachers and other employees with teaching certificates would receive a $2,300 pay increase next year and support workers would receive a $1,500 pay raise for the year.
Williams said the raise would help her recruit new teachers for the 2008-09 school year.
The increase would raise a beginning teacher’s annual salary to $45,033.
The pay increases will cost $1.18 million annually, Robertson said.
 | ||||
| Most Popular | Most Emailed | Hot Topics | ||
