Columbia Superintendent Phyllis Chase is voluntarily taking a pay cut this coming school year to send a message to the community, and she’s recommending the Board of Education freeze teachers’ salaries, too.

Chase

"In my opinion, I need to do this to make sure the community understands the very serious situation Columbia Public Schools is facing," Chase said this morning. "As the leader of this organization, I will be taking the lead in the reduction of salaries."

Chase declined to say how much of a cut she’s willing to take, but she is expected to announce the amount today at a 5 p.m. news conference, just before the school board meets at 6:30 p.m. to finalize details of the 2008-09 budget. That spending plan includes more than $9 million in budget cuts, including teaching positions, but board members have not decided whether to fund the employee salary schedule.

Chase submitted her pay cut proposal to the school board at the June 9 meeting, but the board tabled action when it became less clear whether teachers would receive raises. Board President Michelle Gadbois said she didn’t want to commit Chase to a cut without knowing what other employees would earn. This morning, Chase said she’s committed to her pay reduction regardless of whether the board freezes other salaries.

School board members have been back and forth about funding the salary schedule, a step-based system that compensates staff for experience and education. At board meetings, including a listening forum last night, teachers have repeatedly urged the district to fund the pay system, partly to boost teacher morale and to retain good employees. Rock Bridge High School teacher Matt Cone last night told board members the district has already lost experienced, qualified teachers because of uncertainty about pay.

But district administrators are cautioning board members against using reserves to fund the salary system. Chase sent a letter to employees yesterday saying the district’s "current financial situation precludes salary increases."

Chief Operations Officer Nick Boren and Business Director Linda Quinley also wrote a letter discouraging the board from using one-time reserve funds to increase salaries, an ongoing expense.

That’s a switch from last summer, when the board agreed to spend $10.35 million from reserves to add 70 positions to the payroll and boost teachers’ base pay by $1,000.

"The difference between last year and this year is that last year, some thought a levy would pass," Gadbois said. Voters in April rejected the district’s 54-cent tax increase proposal, causing board members to be more cautious about spending reserves on annual expenses.

At last night’s forum, some residents said they were OK with using one-time money this year to compensate teachers. Wendy Remus, who voted against the tax, even said she’d donate the money that she would have paid in extra taxes to the district if it would mean helping teachers.

And parent Michelle Pruitt said voters weren’t as upset about using reserves to pay teachers as they were about the vote to add nonteaching positions. Even today, the school district is accepting applications for a math coach, math coach mentors, a literacy coach and a Positive Behavior Support coach facilitator.

Filling those positions while cutting teachers and freezing pay shows that the district doesn’t have its financial priorities straight, board member Ines Segert said. Approving the proposed budget and freezing teachers’ salaries will override any message Chase is trying to send by taking a pay cut, she said.

"Everyone talks about the message," Segert said. "There’s a message that Columbia Public Schools is sending with this budget, and that is that we don’t value teachers. We value programs that many people don’t agree with, and we don’t value listening to our constituents. We’re sending a powerful message."

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