Phelps among six new hires for district; board tables planned wage hikes

New Luverne Middle School Principal Jason Phelps led the list of hires Thursday night, June 20, at the board of education meeting.
Phelps, who attended the meeting, received a 6-0 hiring vote from board members. Director Colleen Deutsch was not at Thursday’s meeting.
Phelps begins his duties Monday at a salary of $99,500.
Upon the board’s approval of Phelps’ hiring, a statement from high school principal Ryan Johnson was read.
Johnson served as the combined middle-high school principal for nine years. He requested the addition of the middle school principal earlier this year to help lessen the workload.
“Getting to this point of adding new administration has been difficult for me to accept, but has become very apparent to me of the need for it,” Superintendent Craig Oftedahl read. “I know the staff will respect and follow his leadership.”
Board members also approved the hiring of Joel Evans as a physical education teacher at a salary of $46,585. He replaces TJ Newgard, who moves into the middle school physical education position vacated by Caylee Tennis. Tennis resigned at the end of the school year.
Molly Carbonneau was hired as an elementary teacher at a salary of $44,186. She takes over the fourth-grade classroom from Jon Schomacker, who moves into the new elementary behavioral interventionist position.
The school received approval from the state education department to defray costs associated with the new position.
The Alternative Delivery of Specialized Instructional Services (ADSIS) allowed $85,790 to go toward the position’s salary.
ADSIS award is for two years.
Morgan Smith was hired as the elementary music teacher. Her salary is $39,422 and she replaces Shirlee Gilmore, who retired at the end of the 2018-19 school year.
Challie Jones is the district’s new speech pathologist. Her salary was approved at $39,422.
Chelsie Wermager was also hired as an elementary teacher to replace fifth-grade Katie Mostad, who moved from the elementary to the middle school as a teacher. Wermager’s salary is $52,284.
 
Board takes another look at wage, salary raises
Board members tabled any decisions on raises for the 2019-20 school year. Instead they referred any potential increases back to the personnel committee.
Board members agreed that the committee needs to be aware of all personnel salary decisions in order to see the larger budget picture, said chairman Jodi Bosch after the meeting.
Tabled were increases in bus driver compensation, two-hour food service hourly rate (last raises were approved 2018-19), substitute teacher daily rates, and supervisory and exempt employees salaries, five positions that were recommended for a 3.5-percent salary increase for 2019-20.
 
Breakfast, lunch prices increase for students
Student breakfasts and lunches will cost ten to 25 cents more per day during the 2019-20 school year.
Board members supported the increase with concerns that more families won’t be able to afford the extra costs.
Meal costs were last raised two years ago.
Breakfasts will now cost 10 cents more for students in first through twelfth grade at $1.50 per day. Breakfast for kindergartners is still free.
Lunch for kindergarten through fifth grade and sixth through twelfth grade will be 25 cents higher at $3 and $3.25 per day, respectively, for the upcoming school year.
While adult breakfasts stay the same at $2.50 per day, adult lunch costs will increase 20 cents to $4 per day.
Elementary milk break stays the same at $50 per year.