First-year Superintendent Kara Coglianese plans to end blanket raises for administrators and institute merit bonuses in Homer Community Consolidated School District 33C.
The move comes after school board members balked last May at a proposed 4.175 percent increase that would have given all administrators the same pay bump included in teachers’ union contract. The board settled on a 3.2 percent boost before Coglianese took office in July.
“When I came into the district I was challenged with taking a look at the compensation model that we’re using for compensating our district administrators,” Coglianese told the school board Feb. 25. “We needed to take a look at making sure that they were at market compared to our regional competitors. Moving forward, we want to make sure that we attracting, retaining top talent.”
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A committee that included two board members found that while office compensation is on par, principals on average receive about 7 percent less that peers in other Will County districts and assistant principals and deans earn 17 percent less.
Coglianese said she will seek raise pools equal to 2.8 percent and 3 percent, respectively, for the next two school years. But lower-salaried administrators will get a larger slice.
“Instead of everyone getting the exact same package, we’re going to start differentiating to get everyone where they should be,” Coglianese said. “All staff will receive merit-based bonuses from a fixed aggregate pool using metrics, including contributions toward budget reductions.”
No cost estimate was given for the raises, though the 3.2 percent boost approved last year was expected to cost about $190,000. Coglianese said savings from cost reductions would finance the merit bonuses.
“We are really looking to be fiscally responsible with the budget we have and do the best we can with the resources we have,” she said.
The superintendent also said the current budget has room to hire a human resources director and a communications/public relations director. Board members approved job descriptions without dissent Wednesday and are expected to authorize advertising the positions next month.
“We need to share more of what we are doing here,” Coglianese said of the communications job. “We will be starting a new website next year as well, so this person is going to be integral in getting that vision actualized.”
The board also heard results of a recent online survey showing 70 percent of 367 respondents support using 90-minute late starts to avoid school cancellations. The early-morning hours are more likely to hit the double-digit negative temperatures or negative-25 windchills that prompt a cancellation.
The survey, however, showed only 49 percent favor late starts for staff professional development before school. A five-hour school day would still count toward the state’s 176-day yearly minimum.