Thursday evening the Cache County School Board approved an agreement to accept federal jobs stimulus money. The district is required to only use the money for employee compensation, benefits, retain existing employees, recall former employees, or hire new employees. Troy Pugmire, CEA President, said he read in the paper that some board members wanted to use the money to increase professional development days. Although those days are important, said Pugmire, the teachers are already using their free time to prepare. The teachers would rather see the money used to offset increased insurance costs.

No decision was made on how the expected $1.3 million would be spent.

District Business Manager, Dale Hansen, said they talked to the district teachers, administrators and classified employees. The teachers and administrators want the money disbursed as a one-time payment to offset insurance costs. The amount would be equal for all full-time employees or prorated for part-time employees. Hansen said the amount would be roughly $1020 per teacher or administrator. If the teacher worked half-time, they would receive half the amount.

Hansen said the classified employees, many of which do not have district health insurance, want the money disbursed as a proportion of their income. It would be a two percent one time payment across the board. The amount would be capped to be no more than the payments made to teachers or administration employees.

Board member Tamara Grange asked board president Jonathan Jenkins why they couldn’t decide how to spend the money during the meeting. Jenkins indicated that it wasn’t clearly listed as an agenda item. Plus they didn’t receive the administration’s recommendations until just before the meeting.

The board will hold a regular meeting following the study session in two weeks to consider approving the expenditures.

Superintendent Steven Norton asked that the board also consider using district funds to compensate the secretaries, technical personnel, and other staff exempt from receiving stimulus funds. “I don’t think people outside our district should tell us how we treat our employees,” said Norton. Norton added that both he and Hansen will be exempt from receiving any monies from either source.

Other business

• The board elected Allen Grunig as board president and Brian Leishman as board vice president.
• New board members, Bart Baird and Garrick Hall, plus returning board members, Jonathan Jenkins and Allen Grunig, were sworn in by Dale Hansen.
• The board recognized five recipients of “Teach of The Year” for their respective schools. (See photographs)
• Representatives of Nucor steel handed out grants to various teachers in the district.