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Board approves correction to COTA salary scale after discussing pay discrepancy
Summary
The board adopted a correction to the certified occupational therapy assistant salary scale to align pay with degree levels; members discussed retroactive implications and whether employees should bear the district’s prior pay error.
The Harrison County Board of Education voted to approve a correction to the salary scale for certified occupational therapy assistants (COTAs) to align their base pay with the degree levels defined in state code and with other county professional salary lines. The motion was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote.
Board members discussed that two COTAs were affected by the discrepancy, and that one employee had been historically overpaid under the earlier scale. Members debated whether any correction should financially affect current employees who had been paid under the prior, incorrect scale; several speakers urged that the correction should apply going forward rather than impose retroactive deductions. "It needs fixing," one board member said, and the board agreed to correct the pay scale moving forward.
The correction directs future pay to be calculated according to degree obtained, years of service and applicable professional salary supplements, consistent with how other county professionals are paid. The board did not record a motion to make retroactive recoveries at the meeting; the superintendent and administrative staff noted that payroll errors had been addressed with the employee and with Susie Miller prior to the discussion.
The board approved the recommendation and moved on to subsequent agenda items.
