Board approves MOU with teachers’ association; board asks staff to study pay for non‑employee coaches

The Robertson County Board of Education voted 6‑0 to approve a memorandum of understanding between Robertson County Schools and the Robertson County Education Association, moving the item from the consent agenda for separate consideration. The agreement, contained in the board packet (pages 22–48), updates stipend schedules and other terms negotiated through the district’s collaborative process and the association’s bargaining team. Board members said the MOU shifts many stipends from percentages of a teacher’s salary to flat dollar amounts tied to years of experience in the extracurricular role, a change administrators said makes budgeting more predictable. Dr. Weeks, a central office administrator, described the change as moving “to dollar amounts, flat dollar amounts for the number of years experience that you hold that position,” and said the schedule is intended to let the district calculate exact budget needs for supplements. Board members raised multiple questions about how the MOU treats non‑employee coaches and other sponsors. Several trustees noted situations in which retired teachers or community volunteers serve as coaches but are not eligible for stipends under the MOU because they are not district employees. Administrators said the MOU does not address pay for contractors or volunteers and that the district currently lacks a formal process to compensate non‑employee coaches. “We currently do not have a process in place,” a central office speaker said, adding the district would like to explore contracting or 1099 arrangements for some roles. After the MOU passed, a trustee made a separate motion directing administration to draft a compensation plan for non‑employee coaches and sponsors to present at the next board meeting; the board approved that motion 6‑0. Why it matters: The MOU governs pay supplements for extracurricular roles (coaches, sponsors and others) and therefore affects payroll budgeting and staffing for athletics, music, theater and other student activities. The separate directive to study compensation for non‑employee coaches responds to growing difficulties hiring paid staff and the district’s reliance on volunteers. Details: The MOU packet includes a stipend schedule (page 46) and a summary (page 48) from the staff lead on negotiations. The district reported it based its budget projections on the stipend amounts in the agreement. Trustees discussed specific stipend categories such as field maintenance and strength/conditioning supplements and asked staff how multiple roles at a single school (for example, multiple strength coaches) would be handled; administrators said supplements would be prorated or otherwise distributed according to local assignments. Next steps: The board asked staff to prepare a proposed compensation mechanism for non‑employee coaches and sponsors for a future meeting; staff said that could be handled outside the MOU and would require board authorization if funding or contracting mechanisms are needed.