School workers getting raises

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Grants-Cibola County School Superintendent Kilino Marquez realized early this year that the district would have to comply with the state's requirement to provide a raise for all school district employees this upcoming school year.

"We knew the state was going to require a three-tier system for teachers also, so we started making plans for that a couple of years ago," Marquez said.

"A lot of school districts are having to cut staff and programs," he said.

"We are fortunate that we have been able to maintain our programs. There is nothing new or beyond what we did last year, but we have been able to maintain all the school programs and staff," he said.

Marquez said the school district gave a 5 percent raise, across the board, to all school employees, not just teachers.

For a school employee who makes $25,000 a year, that represents a $1,250 raise, slightly more than $100 per month or $25 per week.

"A lot of districts were required to do an average of 5 percent, meaning some people received more than 5 percent and others less. We gave 5 percent to everyone," Marquez said.

He said the school district started taking steps toward compliance with this year's law a couple of years ago.

"We directed a lot of money to be put into salaries," said George Perea, director of the district's business and finance office.

He said the district was fortunate, through planning, to be able to budget an increase of 7.4 percent for employees in medical and dental benefits as well.

The school district's budget for 2007-2008, which has been approved by the school board and the state, totals $42,994,378, with $28.7 million, or 67 percent of the total budget going toward operational expenses.

Operational expenses include such areas as:

• Salaries, $11.8 million;
  
• Retirement, $1.3 million;
  
• Health, medical insurance, $1.1 million.

The total portion of the operational budget for direct instruction at the school district is about $17 million.

The new Public Education Department's three-tier system gives a minimum starting salary for beginning teachers with a BA or BS, and no experience; teachers with a BA or BS, and three years experience; and teachers with three years experience with a master's degree. The requirements begin this school year.

Starting salaries are: Beginning teacher, $30,000; teacher with three years experience, $40,000; and teachers with three years experience and a master's degree, $50,000.

Project
Paul Carattini, director of facilities and capitol projects, said construction on San Rafael Elementary School will begin within the next 10 days.

"The contractor is receiving the 'notice to proceed,' today, so he has 10 days to begin construction," Carattini said.

Construction at the school will refurbish classrooms and move the kitchen to the other end of the gymnasium and include a new dining area so students, faculty, staff and visitors do not have to eat on the gym floor as they have been doing for years.

The project is about $2 million in cost.

The district is also planning to begin construction on three classrooms and additional support rooms, such as band practice, individual practice, choral, uniform and band equipment storage rooms, for a new performing arts center, Carattini said.

"We are going ahead and building the classrooms for about $2.2 million," he said.

The state is paying $1.8 million and the school district must match that funding with about $600,000 he said.

Currently there is no authorization for the state to build performing arts center auditoriums with seats and a stage.

A bill was written during the last legislative session giving the Public Education Department and the state authorization to allow school to build performing arts center with state funds, but was not heard. Carattini said the district is hoping that same bill will make it to the floor of the Legislature and be passed this next session, which begins in January.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin, call (505) 287-2197, or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.