Cuba City board approves payroll administrative assistant as full‑time after split vote

After a divided discussion about budget priorities and staffing needs, the Cuba City School Board voted to hire the district's new payroll administrative assistant as a full‑time employee.

Background: The board previously posted the position as full time; some members asked whether hiring it as part time (under 30 hours) to avoid benefits costs would be fiscally prudent. Supporters said full time improves candidate attraction and provides consistent coverage for complex payroll and benefits work; critics raised concerns about the district's tight fiscal posture and the likelihood of another referendum in coming years.

Debate highlights: One board member (S12) said the district is "going through a time of more for less" and that she could not "get behind a full time position at this point yet," citing benefit costs and rising expenses. Heather (S11), who oversees financial operations, said she had opened 8–10 applications and observed many candidates currently hold full‑time jobs, which could affect recruitment for a part‑time role.

Vote: The board first voted on a motion to approve the position as part time; that motion failed on roll call. A second motion to approve the position as full time passed on a subsequent roll‑call vote. The approved full‑time role will report to Heather (business manager) and will be trained by the current staff member handling payroll.

What happens next: the district will move forward with hiring for the full‑time payroll administrative assistant and update staffing assignments and onboarding plans. Members said they may revisit allocation decisions if budget conditions change.

Source: board discussion and roll‑call votes at the April meeting.