Waterloo Board approves administrator salary grid, vendor partnerships and personnel contracts; reviews finances and five-year forecast

The Waterloo Board of Education on a unanimous roll call vote approved a principal and assistant principal salary grid intended to improve administrator retention, the district’s superintendent said.

Superintendent Mark recommended the salary grid, effective Aug. 1, 2024, covering the 2024–25 through 2026–27 school years. "This is an attempt to keep this outstanding team together by giving them the idea that if they stay here, there will be some financial compensation," Mark said during the superintendent’s business section. The board approved the motion after discussion.

The board also approved four purchase/service agreements brought forward by the superintendent: LearnWell (student-related services), Hazel Health (telehealth services provided at no cost under a state grant), Franklin University (student-teacher placements) and Jefferson Educational Service Center (virtual learning and credit-recovery offerings). "Hazel Health will provide telehealth, including mental-health services, at 100% no cost to us," Mark said. Board members noted the Jefferson ESC partnership could allow the district to offer classes (for example, cybersecurity) it cannot staff locally.

A series of personnel motions carried by roll call included adding time on specified contracts, issuing a one-year limited custodial contract, approving substitute and supplemental contracts for the 2024–25 year, accepting a resignation that had been tendered and approved a leave of absence for a bus driver for medical reasons. The board also approved payments from the athletic fund to support staff at recent district-hosted tournaments and accepted a $5,400 donation from the Waterloo FX Boosters for basketball uniforms.

Treasurer reports presented the district’s October financials and budget outlook. The treasurer said the general fund and emergency fund showed a combined October deficit of $572,000 but a year‑to‑date surplus for those funds of about $1.6 million; across all funds October showed a $537,000 deficit with a year‑to‑date surplus of roughly $1.22 million. Notable one-time expenditures in the packet included $62,000 paid to Johnson Controls (the treasurer said the district has been reimbursed by the vendor’s insurer) and $21,000 for fuel services.

The board also approved appropriation modifications and participation in listed state and federal grant programs. The treasurer presented a five‑year forecast that uses conservative assumptions — a 30% reappraisal estimate, salary-increase assumptions tied to multi-year agreements and a 12% assumption for health insurance premium growth — and projects a dip in the fund balance after FY 2027 if current assumptions hold. "Based off what I know now, that's what it looks like," the treasurer said. The board approved the forecast by roll call.

The meeting closed the regular agenda by adopting a resolution to permit ongoing employee participation in Ohio deferred compensation options. Immediately after, the board voted to recess into executive session to consider employment matters.

Actions recorded in board motions and votes include adoption of the salary grid, approval of the purchase/service agreements, multiple contract actions (extensions, substitute and supplemental contracts), approval of athletic-fund payments, acceptance of a booster donation, approval of appropriation modifications and grants participation, adoption of the five‑year forecast and approval to participate in Ohio deferred compensation; each motion was approved by roll call as recorded in the meeting minutes.