The Christian County School Board approved raises for certified and classified employees in the district at Thursday’s meeting, along with measures concerning a storm shelter at the new high school.
The three percent raises would be for all positions, including teachers but excluding co-curricular extra services, which had their own updated salary schedule. There was some contention in the meeting, when board members Mike Walker and Lindsey Clark questioned some of the salary schedule increases, specifically concerning athletics— with some positions set to receive 30 to 40 percent increases to their stipend. The measure also creates new positions within the district, including special Olympics assistant coach, middle school athletic directors, bowling teams and special Olympics.
Walker says he’s on board with the majority of the salary schedules, and definitely in support of the three percent raises, but he felt some were too high and he wasn’t prepared to vote on them.
It would be approximately $2.2 million to fund the salary schedule changes and the raises. Board member Tiffany Mumford-Brame says this would not only make the school system more competitive, it would give their staff the pay they deserve.
Ultimately, the schedules and raises were approved on a 3-to-2 vote, with Clark and Walker voting ‘no’.
In other action, the board approved peer review services concerning the construction of a storm shelter inside of the Hopkinsville-Christian County Academy gymnasium and approved advertisements to begin accepting bids for general contractors for the construction of the consolidated high school.