Board reviews proposed contract changes for athletic director, counselors and principals

The board held an extended discussion on proposed changes to employee calendars and contracts for the athletic director, counselors and building principals.

Athletic director: The AD (Evelyn) told the board she currently handles numerous events and duties, reporting about 83 days of home events and frequent long hours, and said she would be open to a stipend or limited extra days instead of an automatic 12‑month conversion. Board members said they wanted contract language that fairly compensates any additional summer or off‑term work.

Counselors: Counselors and a high‑school counselor (Jimmy Brady) urged careful consideration before moving from 11 months to 10.5 months, arguing that registration, credit recovery and schedule changes require coverage in late spring and early summer. Counselors said the profession’s average contract length nationally is roughly 9.5 months, but maintained that 10.5 months is feasible if the district improves calendar planning and registrar support.

Principals: Several principals and administrators supported moving building principals to 12‑month contracts to provide time for administrative catch‑up and transition between years; they discussed options for staggered vacation, limited office closures and a vacation calendar to ensure coverage while allowing downtime.

Why it matters: Contract duration affects recruitment, retention, continuity of services and workload distribution. Board members emphasized that any changes should be coordinated through Meet and Confer, reflect fair compensation and avoid requiring staff to do unpaid summer work.

Next steps: The board asked administration and labor representatives to bring clearer draft contract language and coverage plans back to future meetings and to treat compensation changes as a Meet and Confer negotiation item where appropriate.