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August 3, 2009
Superintendent’s Message
Dear Staff,
I am greatly looking forward to seeing all of you at the Back to School Celebration next week being held at the Arizona Grand Resort! We are so grateful for their generous offer to use their pavilion at no cost. It is quite a challenge to find a place large enough so our entire staff can be together in one place at one time and this is a great opportunity for us to do that.
No matter what position we hold or what job responsibilities we have, each one of us plays an important role in the lives of the children we serve. There is nothing more important than the work we do because we are shaping the future of the world that our children will create and live in. As we look at the current changes and challenges in the world around us, the time in which we are living presents one of the greatest opportunities ever imagined to renew, reconsider and reinvent who we are as individuals and as a school district.
The promise and excitement of a new school year does not change the fact that the State of Arizona continues to face a severely depressed economy and outlook for the immediate future. So far, Kyrene has come through this crisis well and the facts that we were able to hire back most of the staff members who were part of the Reduction in Force and that we did not have to take furloughs or salary reductions are definite positives. Many of us will notice changes in class sizes, but it is important to understand that we (1) have in recent years had extremely low class sizes in the primary grades (2) still have excellent class size ratios when compared to other school districts and (3) must staff more conservatively than in previous years because of major funding reductions from the state. We need to rely on each other for needed support and it is most important to reassure parents that their children will continue to receive the high quality program that Kyrene is known for.
I wish all of us great success this year and look forward to seeing you next week and during my travels throughout the school district.
David
Tri- District Volunteer Attorney Recognized
City of Tempe Mayor, Hugh Hallman presented a proclamation to Janis Merrill for her contributions to the community and to Kyrene and Tempe Elementary school districts and Tempe Union High School District. The proclamation was presented at a Tempe Union High School District Governing Board meeting on June 17, 2009. Superintendents Dr. David Schauer, Kyrene School District; Dr. Art Tate, Tempe Elementary School District and Mr. Steve Adolph, Tempe Union High School District along with Governing Board members of the three school districts were also in attendance to honor Mrs. Merrill.
From Tempe, Mayor Hugh Hallman, Janis Merrill, Tempe Union School District Superintendent Steve Adolph, Kyrene Elementary School District Superintendent, David Schauer, Tempe Elementary Superintendent, Art Tate
Fox Lawson Report Received
On May 26, a study session was held with the Kyrene Governing Board regarding the final report of the Fox Lawson classification and compensation study. As most of you are aware, this study was launched in the fall of 2007 under the direction of the Governing Board. On July 14, 2009, the Governing Board approved the first implementation steps of the Fox Lawson recommendations. Those phases included reclassifying specifically identified positions and placing impacted individuals on the appropriate bands and grades. The employees impacted by the first two phases of the recommendations are largely support staff. The positions include special education instructional assistants, bus drivers, Payroll Technicians, Site Support Technicians, Senior User Support Technicians, Occupational Therapists and some Supervisors. Several new employee classifications were created and many others were eliminated. Even with these changes, it is important to emphasize that no employee was, or will be, non-renewed or terminated due to the Fox Lawson recommendations.
It has been more than 10 years since a study of this magnitude was conducted. There were several key strategies going into this project that would hold current employees harmless: employees were not to be negatively impacted in terms of their compensation; hourly stipends were to be eliminated as they were used to serve as a temporary market compensation tool; and employees were not to be frozen if at some point the district could afford to offer compensation increases. In some cases, reclassified employees will see an increase in their hourly wage and their contracts will be adjusted retroactively to July 1, 2009. In other cases, employees will not see an increase in their wage as their total base wage was already supplemented by an hourly market stipend. The two wages―hourly base and stipend―will be folded into a new base wage. Although hourly stipends will be eliminated in most support positions, no employee will receive a decrease from their current hourly base plus hourly stipend pay.
Employees impacted by the Fox Lawson recommendations will be contacted by their Supervisor, and will be issued new contracts that will reflect the changes. A general cover letter will be attached to explain the purpose of the new contract to each affected employee. Revised contracts will be sent out to 12 month employees in time for the first August payroll run, and 9 to 10 month employees will have new contracts issued in time for the first regular payroll run.
The two steps approved by the Governing Board on July 14th are as follows:
Step 1 involves moving reclassified employees to their new classes. While some reclassified groups will see no change in their classification rating (e.g. custodians, Building Managers), other reclassified employees may see a change. If there is a change in an employee’s classification, the employee’s salary may be increased so that it is within the new range.
Step 2 involves how the reclassified employees will be placed given their appropriate years of experience in their role that qualifies for a reclassification. The new base pay will be compared to the old hourly base plus hourly stipend pay and adjusted, if necessary. The new base pay must be, at minimum, what the previous base pay plus hourly stipend pay was. Hourly stipends will no longer exist for a majority of the support staff positions and will not be applied to the new base pay.
The third and fourth steps, which have not yet been approved by the Governing Board, involve forming a new employee group called Allied Health as well as adopting new market salary ranges as recommended by Fox Lawson. Given further discussions that need to occur during the meet and confer process involving those impacted employee classifications, as well as given the current economic and budget challenges we are facing, the Governing Board will determine when and how to adopt any future steps.
An appeals process will be available once all employees return to work. For further information about this item and others, please visit the HR website and look for frequently asked questions about the Fox Lawson process.
Please let us know what you think of this publication. Send your comments, questions, and suggestions to: kalexa@kyrene.org.
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