Board approves clarified salary-schedule changes, including coordinator codification and accounting degree column shifts

The Natchitoches Parish School Board approved changes to the 2025–26 salary schedule that codify a 10‑month coordinator position for early childhood (a position already paid from Title I funds) and that add a one-column advancement for employees with a four‑year accounting degree and an additional column for employees with a CPA.

Miss Palmer, a school board member who presented the finance item, said the coordinator was a reclassification of an existing position following a district reorganization and that “this is not a new position” and “it’s actually paying less” in multiplier terms than the prior supervisor role. She told the board the coordinator’s position has been paid out of Title I/preschool funds and that codifying the position in the salary schedule simply addresses how the person is paid.

On the accounting-column changes, a board discussion confirmed that two people would be directly impacted and that the estimated cost for those two employees’ column adjustments is about $12,000 per year (roughly $6,000 per impacted employee). Miss Palmer said the change would make the schedule more flexible during hiring and that it also affects retirement calculations because pay increases feed into pension averages.

The original motion described four pages of salary-schedule changes. A board member moved to vote on each page separately; the board adopted that amendment and then approved each page by roll call (each passed). Board members asked whether the adjustments created new positions or increased ongoing district costs; presenters said the coordinator reclassification had been budgeted and funded in Title I this year and that the accounting-degree adjustments would increase compensation for a small number of employees.

Nut Graf: The board approved clarifications and modest compensatory adjustments to the salary schedule that codify an existing 10‑month early childhood coordinator role and grant column advancements to staff holding a bachelor’s degree in accounting (and an additional column for CPAs), with an estimated near‑term cost of roughly $12,000 for two employees.

Details and next steps: The coordinator position was described as moving from a supervisor title to a coordinator (from a 30% multiplier to a 15% multiplier) as part of a broader reorganization of job descriptions done last year. The board asked about cost and retroactivity; presenters said the changes address previous omissions and that the district will not be adding an unfunded, ongoing position. The finance department will implement the column changes in payroll and reflect them in hiring processes.

Ending: The board approved the items with separate roll-call votes on the submitted pages; staff will implement the pay-column adjustments and update hiring/job descriptions as necessary.