School staff receives raise

0

During a special meeting this week the Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education approved raises for this year and next year for all but two of the district’s employees.

Hillsboro Superintendent Jim Smith said the board approved raises of 3 percent for this year and 2 percent for next year for all the employees except himself and treasurer Adam Zink.

Smith said the district employees received a 2 percent raise last year, but he estimated that before that it had been three to four years since they received a raise, other than the “step” raises their respective contracts call for.

Those raises come at certain longevity and/or additional education levels.

“Some of it is simply trying to bring our salary schedule up to a level where we are able to compete for teachers and talented staff,” Smith said of the reason he recommended the raises to the board of education. “With all the retirements there were this year, we saw a lot of movement. We wanted to make sure we’re competitive when it comes to how our salary schedule compares to other school districts. And part of it was that our staff has been working hard and we wanted to reward them.”

Smith said the district hired 41 new staff members for the approaching 2015-16 school year. He said around 30 of those were teachers.

“Changes in the pension rules led a lot of folks who could to retire, and that had a domino effect for school districts,” Smith said. “It was an interesting summer, I can tell you that. We were busy. There wasn’t a lot of down time.”

Hillsboro students return to class Monday, Aug. 10.

The Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education meets regularly at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. Meetings are usually held at the board offices at 39 Willetsville Pike on the former middle school/high school campus.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.

Hillsboro City Schools Superintendent Jim Smith, left, and board member Jerry Walker listen to a presentation at a previous meeting.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2015/08/web1_Smith-Walker-pic.jpgHillsboro City Schools Superintendent Jim Smith, left, and board member Jerry Walker listen to a presentation at a previous meeting.
Smith says district hired 41 new employees for 2015-16

By Jeff Gilliland

[email protected]

No posts to display