NEW PALESTINE — Officials with the Community School Corporation of Southern Hancock County School Board officially approved pay increases as well as an extra award of monies for administrators.
The board also approved an increase in pay for the district’s support staff and substitute teachers.
The year end increases, according to board paperwork, are set to go into affect Saturday and were approved when the board passed the personnel report during the most recent board meeting in early December.
The board approved a recommend salary increase of $3,000 for each administrator in the district. That figure, officials said, matched that which was provided to teachers during their contract negotiations earlier this year.
Those administrators listed as receiving an increase in pay were listed as superintendent Lisa Lantrip, currently making $170,655 per year; assistant superintendent Robert Yoder, currently making $156,207 per year; assistant superintendent Katy Eastes, currently making $134,518 per year; and instructional director Miles Hercamp, currently making $122,156 a year.
The administrative increases also included the district’s principals and their assistants, New Palestine High School (NPHS) principal Jim Voelz, who currently makes 132,471; NPHS assistant principal Nicholas Mitchaner, NPHS assistant principal Craig Moore and New Palestine Junior High School (NPJHS) principal Jessica Neill, who currently make 122,187; NPJHS assistant principal Jon Amones and New Palestine Intermediate School (NPIS) principal Vincent Meo, who currently make 117,965; NPIS assistant principal Corie McCaw and New Palestine Elementary (NPE) principal Kayleigh Fosnow, who currently make 117,965; NPE assistant principal Nik Giant and Sugar Creek Elementary (SCE) principal Jan Kehrt, who currently make 117,965; SCE assistant principal John Dehr and Brandywine Elementary principal Austin Theobald, who currently make 117,965 for the 2023-24 school year.
In addition to the overall pay increases, the school board also approved what is being called an “Administrator Appreciation Award” for those in charge in the district. This award matches the same amount that teachers received for 2023, which was either $634 for being a highly effective teacher or $507 for being an effective teacher.
This distribution is for building administrators rated effective or highly effective on the evaluation model. The monies were awarded to Lantrip, Yoder, Eastes, Hercamp, Voelz, Mitchaner, Moore, Amones, Meo, McCaw, Fosnow, Giant, Kehrt, Dehr and Theobald.
As for the support staff in the district, the school board passed and approved an average overall “Support Staff Wage” increase of 4.5% which is also effective Saturday.
The district was also able to find more funding for substitute teachers. According to board paperwork, the board recommended substitute teacher pay increase from $100 per day to $110 per day. Additionally, they recommended pay for certified teachers who retire from the Community School Corporation of Southern Hancock County who choose to substitute teach in the district increases from $110 per day to $120 per day.
Additionally, the board recommended support staff substitute wage rates be increased by $0.75 per hour.
