With an audience of two, the most hotly contested subject at the
Aromas-San Juan Unified School District Board meeting Wednesday
night was a proposed raise for Superintendent Jackie Munoz.
The Board was deciding on whether or not to give Munoz a
2-percent raise. It would be the first raise Munoz has received
since becoming superintendent almost three years ago.
With an audience of two, the most hotly contested subject at the Aromas-San Juan Unified School District Board meeting Wednesday night was a proposed raise for Superintendent Jackie Munoz.
The Board was deciding on whether or not to give Munoz a 2-percent raise. It would be the first raise Munoz has received since becoming superintendent almost three years ago.
While Trustee Jeff Hancock was against the raise, the other four trustees praised Munoz’s job as superintendent. Hancock said the raise was too much of an increase. The other Board members argued a raise for Munoz was only fair since all other employees in the district received the same 2-percent raise.
The final vote was 4-1 in favor with Hancock dissenting. The raise will be retroactive to February 1, 2003. Munoz’s salary before the raise was $101,000 and will be around $105,000 with the raise, she said.
The Board also voted to disclose a collective bargaining agreement with classified and other staff. The agreement includes a retroactive salary increase of 1 percent effective February 1, 2003 and a 2-percent mid-year increase effective February 1, 2004. The increase will cost the district $163,623, according to the agreement, with the money coming from the Unappropriated General Fund Balance.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Board held a moment of silence to recognize school psychologist Armando Quintana, who died from a stroke Dec. 30. Quintana was employed at the San Benito County Office of Education as a school psychologist and worked at local school districts.
In other business:
– The Board voted 5-0 to suspend the expulsion of a student. The student will be put on a behavior contract. If that is violated, the student will be expelled immediately.
– There were no public comments.
– The Board approved six interdistrict transfers out of the district.
– In her superintendent’s report, Munoz discussed construction at San Juan School. Since a second kindergarten room is being built and most classrooms are being renovated, Munoz acknowledged the disruption to students and staff, but said it was worth it for the needed improvements.
Munoz also reported on attendance for this first period. Attendance was 1,265. Last year, attendance for this period was 1,351, a loss of 86 students, Munoz said.
Also, per request from last month’s meeting, Munoz looked into the cost of a public address system so people in the audience could hear better. The cheapest device is lapel microphones for a cost of $3,700.
The next Board meeting is Feb. 4 at Aromas School, 365 Vega St.
