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Somerton board approves grant-funded specialist, personnel releases and raises after-school stipends
Summary
The Somerton Elementary District board voted to create a grant-funded 21st Century specialist, approved two teacher contract releases (and associated liquidated-damage assessments), and raised extracurricular stipends from $28 to $40 per hour.
The Somerton Elementary District governing board on Aug. 13 approved several personnel and program items, including opening a grant-funded district position to support a 21st Century grant, approving teacher contract releases and assessing liquidated-damage fees, and increasing extracurricular stipends to $40 per hour.
The board voted to open a district-level 21st Century specialist position to manage compliance and financial reporting for a 21st Century grant that will serve four schools and could fund up to $500,000 in after-school programming and tutorials. Administration described the specialist as a grant-funded, clerical-and-compliance role that will work with site coordinators and federal-grants staff. “This position will manage the compliance uploads and the financial part of the grants,” administration said in the meeting.
On personnel matters, the board approved two requests to release teachers from FY24–25 contracts effective Aug. 13, 2024. For one departing teacher the board voted to assess a 1% liquidated-damages fee as recommended by administration; for a first-year teacher the board voted to assess a $1,500 liquidated-damages fee. The motions carried after roll-call votes; the transcript records some ‘nay’ votes during the roll calls but does not specify individual roll-call tallies.
The board also approved a change to the district stipend schedule that raises pay for extracurricular work and after-school tutorials from $28 to $40 per hour, a change administrators said is intended to keep the district competitive and encourage teacher participation. A related agenda item adjusted the district’s stipend list to reflect the new rate and removed certain stipends previously paid from ESSER funds; administration clarified eligibility rules for special-education stipends and compliance requirements for ESS paperwork.
Other housekeeping approvals included advertising a salary range for the new grant-funded specialist (noted as federally funded), approval of updated principals’ work calendars, and first readings of several policy advisories. The board carried motions on those items during the meeting and adjourned after announcing upcoming calendar events.
The board did not publish detailed named vote tallies in the public transcript for most motions; where a roll call occurred the transcript records results (including some recorded nays) but does not list vote-by-vote names in the public record. Next procedural steps include posting the federally funded position and moving forward with grant compliance and implementation at the four recipient sites.
