DPS discusses salary increase

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Dickinson High School Principal Ron Dockter, Director of Instruction Melanie Kathrein and Heart River Elementary School Principal Sherry Libis listen to discussion during an administrative collaborative bargaining meeting Monday in Dickinson.

Talk about it

Dickinson Public School Board members want to increase salaries of 12 administrators over the next two years by 9 percent overall, while administrators are pushing for a 10 percent increase.

The administrative collaborative bargaining meeting was unable to reach a decision during their meeting Monday.

The average DPS administrative salary is $91,314.

“Historically, the percentage of increase by administrators has been lower than teachers,” Dickinson High School Principal Ron Dockter said.

Teachers will receive an overall salary increase of 10.35 percent over the next two years.

School Board member Jason Hanson pointed out teachers and administrators have never had identical salary increases and their salary schedules differ as well.

“My biggest hang up, obviously, is just if we give the 10 (percent) and we calculate it back to base salary, the increase is going to be higher than the teachers’,” Hanson said.

School Board President Kris Fehr said taxpayers would likely view a 9 percent salary increase more favorably than a 10 percent increase.

Director of Instruction Melanie Kathrein said administrators feel teachers getting a bigger percentage increase “shouldn’t necessarily be the trend.”

Hanson asked how committee members felt about a 9.5 percent increase, but Dockter, Kathrein and Heart River Elementary Principal Sherry Libis said they would prefer to talk the idea over with other administrators.

Another meeting has not been scheduled, but the committee hopes to come to an agreement by the end of the week.

In other matters, the committee tentative agreed to increase the frequency of career increments, which is a payment administrators receive after being employed at DPS for 15 years.

If the agreement is finalized, the increments will be paid out every two years, rather than every three years.

“The costs are not that great for what we would get out of it,” Fehr said.

The administrators present agreed.

The change would cost DPS about $1,600 more a year over the next six years, DPS Superintendent Doug Sullivan said after the meeting.

Tags: dickinson public schools, local, education