Board debates one-time raises using Augment grant surplus; members split over fairness and timing

The Grey County Board of Education discussed whether to apply one-time raises funded from surplus Augment grant money or to follow the grant's scheduled increases.

Staff explained that the Augment grant runs on a calendar year (Jan. 1–Dec. 31) while the district operates on a July 1–June 30 fiscal year. The grant automatically provides a 3% increase in January; staff presented two options: option 6 keeps the grant's scheduled 3% January increase, while option 7 would add a 7% immediate raise (bringing totals to 10% after the immediate increase and 13% after the January grant increase).

Superintendent Crawford said the grant had surplus funding because fewer staff were hired in the first year than anticipated and that the leftover money could be used to give current staff a raise now. “She said that the money was surplus because that $8 staff hired that first year,” Crawford explained, summarizing staff communications about the grant's carryover rules.

One board member objected to using the grant money to raise Augment-funded staff beyond what other district employees received, saying, “I'm not gonna vote for a 10% to a 13% raise ... they don't deserve any more than anyone else.” Other members said they would consider additional raises if funds are available and argued the raises would help retain staff.

The item required more review; members asked staff to clarify carryover rules and long-term effects on the grant in future years before taking final action. The matter remained under discussion with no final board vote recorded in the transcript.

Next steps include staff providing explicit carryover projections and cost impacts before the board takes a binding vote.