Minutes - October 19, 2022
Welcome and Celebrations
Dr. Ellis greeted everyone. Green Ridge has a new principal and she’s doing great. The purpose of staff advisory is for Dr. Ellis to keep everyone up to date, and also for staff to bring questions to Dr. Ellis. It is about communication and being honest about the reality. The Classified Staff Advisory meets 3 times a year.
Budget Update
We are operating on one of the best budgets we have seen. The salary increased to $15 an hour minimum for classified. Everyone should have seen an increase. Supplements are up from $50 dollars to $500. We have bumped up the salary to retain and encourage employees to join MCS. The budget has valuable benefits; the benefits are 40% of your salary. For those who are getting ready to retire, MCS pays roughly 24.5% of your salary towards your retirement. The main concern is to make sure people have jobs, ADM has decreased and adjustments are made to retain jobs. If you’re here and you do your job, you will keep your job. This 5% raise is the biggest in two decades.
Dr. Ellis asked if there were any questions about the budget. There were none.
Student Data
Dr. Ellis spoke about student data. We exceeded pre-pandemic proficiency levels in 13 out of 17 tested areas after COVID. 15 out of 17 of the areas, met or exceeded growth. School letter grades are based on 80% proficiency and 20% on growth. There is one F school, and 5 D schools in the county. It is important to remember that a phenomenal job took place in all the schools. We made tremendous growth. Tillary Charter is 15% proficiency. All staff has a part in making the day better for the kids. Everyone plays a crucial role. Phenomenal job from every MCS employee.
Free and Reduced lunch submitted paperwork is much higher than it has ever been, 77% percent submitted. Dr. Ellis said we are going to be in great shape as that helps us maintain our Title 1 money.
Questions?
The teachers would like to know about changing the time for the parent/teacher conference from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm (original time) and changing it to 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm. Some teachers have workshops.
This can be discussed at school-level meetings and decided at the principal’s discretion.
If you're a dual employee and drive a bus, why are you docked from your primary position?
We can only pay for one position at a time. This is for legal records as well. An employee should not be clocked in a TA position if they are driving a bus and they get into a bus accident. You want to be covered by insurance.
When you retire or leave the system, are you paid leave or is it annual leave and sick leave?
You are paid for annual leave. Sick leave rolls into retirement and remains on file for five years for those who leave state employment, in case they come back.
There are a lot of complaints for those of us who are on a full-time bus route, maybe doing an AM or PM long route. Can this be addressed?
If there is an employee that is an eligible bus driver that has not completed bus driver training or refuses to drive a bus, please make us aware of it. Send it anonymously, but please make us aware. It is our responsibility to hire someone and let them know that it is understood that they will drive a bus.
What happens when a classified employee starts student teaching and cannot drive the bus?
Student teaching takes precedence over driving.
Do bus drivers get paid to drive student-athletes to sporting events?
Yes, you are paid.
Due to the budget, what does it mean for those who have been here longer?
The issue is salary compaction, due to salary increases on the front end. We know that it will be an issue that we will address. Someone who has put in more time, should make more. Everyone does get longevity after 10 years from the state. However, we know it is an issue when someone who just got here is making $15.00 an hour and someone who has been here 10 years is making $15.50. That is an unintended consequence of the state budget.
Could we possibly get it worked out to where classified staff gets no days?
No days were built for teachers. Teachers have a more variable day schedule and can work the extra time. They have to work an extra 15 minutes a day every day for the entire year. As a classified employee, once you go over that eight hours, either you go home or you're making time and a half. There is no way for classified to work “extra time.”
Can we do something about the ant and the substitute teacher problem at East Middle?
The ant problem will be addressed with maintenance. As far as the substitute problem goes, they can turn it down, and oftentimes, they do. We will discuss this with ESS.
Why can the county not pay for a bus driver's license? It is $90 dollars. If it is required, the county should pay.
It is a professional credential required for the job, just like many other positions. Teachers have to pay $55 for their teaching licenses, the HVAC maintenance men have to pay for their licenses. What we do for one, we’d have to do for all and that can quickly lead to a budget issue.