Pay raises not in the works Whitley County teachers

Members of the Whitley County Board of Education presented Whitley County Intermediate School employee Angie Baker with the May Above and Beyond Award during Thursday’s monthly school board meeting.

For the most part, Whitley County school system employees won’t be getting any pay raises in the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1.

During its monthly meeting Thursday, the Whitley County Board of Education approved the 2017-2018 tentative budget.

Superintendent Scott Paul noted that the state legislature did not fund any pay raises this year.
Chief Finance Officer Alicia Logan noted that there were few changes to the budget from what board members saw when they were first presented with an early draft of the budget in January.

Logan said that the only raises are for years of experience or to reflect changes in ranking.

“Most everything else will be the same,” Logan noted.

Board member Delmar Mahan asked if there would be any cuts this current fiscal year, which ends June 30, to the SEEK (Support Educational Excellence in Kentucky) funding given the state budget shortfall.

“I don’t anticipate that. I certainly don’t anticipate any cuts this school year,” Paul responded.

“I have not heard of anything coming down the road” Paul said in reference to possible cuts next school year.

Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) funding is a formula driven allocation of state funds provided to school districts based on average daily attendance. SEEK funding is one of the primary funding mechanisms for school districts.

Logan said that SEEK funding amounts for next year won’t be known for certain until September.

In other business, the board:

• Presented Whitley County Intermediate School employee Angie Baker with the May Above and Beyond Award.

• Approved a Whitley County High School Link Crew leadership trip to Washington, D.C. Faculty adviser Tracy Croley said that 55 students, who will be juniors or seniors next school year, are eligible for the trip, which is expected to cost about $34,000.

Students will raise the money for the trip.

“It gives the students something to look forward too,” Croley noted.

She added that most of the places the students will be going in Washington D.C. require no admission costs.

The WCHS Link Crew program is designed to provide incoming freshmen with student mentors to make the transition from middle school to high school easier.

• Approved membership in the Kentucky Education Development Corporation (KEDC) for a cost of $5,000. Mahan noted that the district saves quite a bit of money by being able to purchase items through the consortium.