As of this date, the Legislature of State of Washington has not adopted a budget for the coming biennium. It is unknown when they will complete the budget, but it is likely that it may not occur before the end of June. This creates a difficulty for the school district on multiple levels. The most obvious is the development of the budget for the 2017-2018 school year. Another problem created by the lateness of the budget potentially impacts paychecks for many of the district employees. RCW 28A.400.315 requires that administrator salaries be set by July 1:
RCW 28A.400.315 Employment contracts.
Employment contracts entered into between an employer and a superintendent, or administrator as defined in RCW 28A.405.230, under RCW 28A.400.010 or 28A.405.210:
(1) Shall end no later than June 30th of the calendar year that the contract expires except
that, a contract entered into after June 30th of a given year may expire during that same calendar year; and
(2) Shall not be revised or entered into retroactively.
Historically, administrator salary increases have, in part, reflected state funded COLAs provided to other school employees. The Woodland Administrative Association contract ties salary directly to the teacher salary schedule. There is potential that the state will change or even eliminate the current Salary Allocation Models. If this occurs time and data needed to calculate fair adjustment to salaries may be delayed for a few months beyond the July 1 deadline in RCW 28A.400.315.
A well-respected attorney who represents educational clients from across the state, with input from others, including Buzz Porter, has drafted recommendations for school districts to effectively extend the time for changes to salaries after the July 1st date.
There are three elements to be considered:
1) A Memorandum of Understanding with the Principal's Association.
2) A resolution that covers our non-represented administrative and management staff
3) Language in individual contracts that references the MOU or Resolution
The attorney who represents us for labor relations and bargaining issues has reviewed and revised the MOU and Resolution.
Administrative Recommendation: /MOTION/ "I move we approve resolution 17-5 and the MOU with WAA as presented"