Funding cut affects raises

By GINA KINSLOW
Glasgow Daily Times

GLASGOW April 23, 2008 01:19 pm

— A lack of state funding to support step and rank increases for certified and classified school personnel was not good news for the Metcalfe County Board of Education.
Superintendent Pat Hurt notified the school board earlier this week about the issue.
“I told them that while the 1 percent is to be included in the SEEK fund, there is no provision for rank and step changes,” she said.
The SEEK (Support Education Excellence in Kentucky) funding program is a formula-driven allocation of state funds to local school districts. The formula includes funding for transportation costs and special-needs students as reported by districts, according to the Kentucky Department of Education Web site.
This means money for rank and step increases will have to come from local funds and is likely to cost the school district between $125,000 and $130,000.
Matt South, school board chairman, said picking up the step and rank increases is a “burden on the Metcalfe County School System just as it is on all school systems.”
“The 1 percent raise is disappointing. For the state to only fund 1 percent for employees, with the district having to pick up the rank and step increases, again it puts a burden on our local school system, especially with the increases in fuel and other operating costs,” he said.
Hurt plans to attend a statewide meeting for school superintendents on Monday to learn more about legislative issues. The meeting is being hosted by Kentucky’s education commissioner John Draud.