School committee sends Appendix A revisions to full board

Just in time for the start of the new school year, the School District of Rhinelander is set to update the portion of the employee handbook that governs compensation for coaches and advisors.

The policy, known as “Appendix A”, cleared the employee relations committee on Aug. 14 as did the administration’s recommendations to add a few new high school clubs and middle school teams.

In a memo to the committee, district activities director Brian Paulson noted that Appendix A has not been revised since 2011. He also noted the district’s desire to “attract and retain high quality coaches for our programs.”

The administration is recommending adding an ice fishing team/club at RHS as well as Raise Your Voice (a club focused on mental health) and Key Club.

The recommended middle school sports additions are softball, baseball, intramural golf and 6th grade football.

Superintendent Eric Burke noted that part of the district’s strategic plan is to “support student engagement and activities.”

“And when we have good people (coaching and advising students) we want to obviously support them and stay current with what people are getting paid...” he added, noting that the administration’s proposal is to tie stipends for coaches and advisors to the base pay for teachers. 

For the first year, coaches and advisors will see a “higher bump as we’re getting caught up” after that there will be a small increase each year, he explained.

Burke noted there were a lot of revisions, as district staff reviewed the figures in Appendix A.

 “I believe we’ve landed at a place that both Bob (Thom, the district’s director of business services) and I recommend going forward in order to address the need to increase our coaches and advisors pay,” he added. 

The total cost increase associated with the proposal is $93,704, according to a handout distributed by Paulson. The current cost of compensation for coaches and advisors is $307,194. If the revised Appendix A is approved by the full board, the cost will increase to $400,898.

The committee responded favorably to the recommendations but committee member Judy Conlin did ask that the administration review the compensation for the mock trial advisor. She noted that the school board increased pay for the mock trial coach 11 years ago, due to specific circumstances, and the position is due for a review as to the appropriate amount of compensation. 

In other action Monday, the district’s capital projects committee reviewed a survey to be sent to district voters this fall. The survey, authorized in June, is a way for the district to gather data on community members’ educational priorities and can help in understanding the “tax tolerance” associated with potential projects.

The school board is considering a capital referendum to fund renovations and additions to tech ed facilities at Rhinelander High School and James Williams Middle School.

If authorized, the referendum would not take place until April 2024.

The school board is expected to vote on the survey language Monday evening. The coach and advisor compensation is also expected to be discussed Monday.