MUNSTER – In a town where first-time development land is at a premium, the School Town has some to unload, but no one’s bitten on it so far.
The Board of School Trustees decided Monday to extend the bidding on the five parcels of land in the town’s Westlake subdivision for up to another 60 days. The price of the land is $837,000; it was appraised twice in 2014 within the $700,000 to $900,000 range, School Board Attorney Kathy Maicher said.
If the land isn’t sold within the 60 days, the school town will enlist a broker to make the sale, Superintendent Jeff Hendrix said.
The land was purchased for $1 million over a 5-year period for the purpose of building an elementary school in the Westlake neighborhood, Hendrix said.
The neighorhood is on the southwest side of the town, and abuts the Lansing Airport to the west and 45th Street to the north.
Board Vice President Melissa Higgason asked what would happen if someone bid only $200,000. Hendrix said they would be able to decline any bids. Bids will also be posted on the school town’s Web site daily, he said.
Hendrix said money raised from the sale will be used to offset the school town’s debt.
The packed administration meeting room was filled with parents with a renewed interest in the school’s financial crisis, including Sarah Nowaczyk, who asked how it was that administrative salaries increased by $64,000 between 2012 and 2014 when cuts were widely touted as early as 2010. Hendrix and Munster Teachers Association President Ryan Ridgely explained while it was true that the teachers had negotiated a 3 percent raise in their 2010 contract, they agreed to revert back to 2009 salary levels when asked.
The contracts, however, allow for “steps,” or 3 percent pay increases to teachers as they reach certain numbers of years worked in the system. Those were never reduced or eliminated, Assistant Superintendent Steve Tripenfeldas said, and since administrative steps were attached to teacher steps, some administrators saw a 3 percent increase as well.
“Teachers at the top of a 20-year pay schedule stay the same,” Ridgely said. “While some people might see it as a raise, it’s not.”
Board member Judy Florczak conceded that the board should’ve probably made more cuts, but that “hindsight is always wonderful.”
Nowaczyk then pointed out that former superintendents Bill Pfister and Richard Sopko received bonuses of up to $55,000 per year and asked if Hendrix is receiving the same benefit. He said he isn’t and assured parents that even though any and all programs will be assessed, and class sizes reevaluated, Munster will come through the crisis with as minimal change as possible.
“This is the fourth time I’ve dealt with a school system in crisis,” he said. “At my last school, it took us five years before we turned it around. “We can still give our students a world-class education. It’ll just look a little different than you’re used to.”
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In other business, the board approved the $2 million in referendum anticipation warrants, opting to go with People’s Bank, which offered a 1.64 percent interest rate on the declining balance. At that rate, the town will end up paying $69,973 and won’t have to start paying it back until June 2016, Treasurer Janice Swanson said.
Hendrix said he will be talking to each school about progress and updates in the next couple weeks before inviting the public to attend. Public meetings will be set up toward the end of the month.