This week's headlines

The Delta County Board of Education is considering a 2012-13 budget which would save about $182,000 in administrative costs. Steps have already been taken to eliminate several positions at the district office.

The budget calls for $381,580 in budget reorganization savings, which will be partially offset by an estimated salary/benefit package of $199,677 for a new director of personnel and the newly-created position of assistant superintendent.

Business manager Terry Kimber breaks down the savings as follows:

Personnel director Caryn Gibson is moving to the Delta-Montrose Technical College, to reassume the position of director. During the 2011-12 school year that position was held by John Jones, who has been let go. A portion of his salary was paid out of the school district's general fund because he served as transportation director and Vision liaison.

The position of curriculum director has been eliminated and, although Connie Vincent will remain on the payroll, she will no longer be in the district office. Her duties for 2012-13 have yet to be defined.

Bill Carlquist's part-time job dealing with activities and public relations has been eliminated.

The position of executive secretary will not be filled. Arlene Hutchins retired from that job when superintendent Mike McMillan retired earlier this year.

An accounts payable clerk who retired will not be replaced. The duties of both secretarial positions have been spread among the remaining staff, who received a pay increase of $1.50 per hour for their additional responsibilities. That pay increase prompted Jackie Trueblood to comment at the school board meeting, "What about the other employees in this district who have taken on more work, especially those teachers with larger class sizes who have more papers to grade and more parents to please and more students to get to where they need to be?

She also noted John Jones's 19 years of service to Delta County Joint School District as a principal and administrator. While teachers achieve some level of protection when they earn non-probationary status, there is no such protection for administrators. Connie Vincent has taught in Delta County Joint School District #50; Jones has not.

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