Gilbert Public Schools is issuing renewal contracts to its employees for the 2023-24 school year earlier than in the past, a move taken to shore up staffing, officials said.
The GPS Governing Board unanimously approved contracts' issuance at its Jan. 31 meeting.
Superintendent Shane McCord said it was a goal for the district to issue the contracts earlier, though in the past it had waited until the budget to be settled.
“I think that's one of the best ways to do it,” McCord said about waiting for the budget. “But we have a need to make sure that we are staffed appropriately as we go into the next school year — being able to know what staff is returning, what staff may not be returning. The only way to do that is to ensure that we get contracts out.”
The contracts will not reflect what raises employees may be getting because the budget has not been passed. However, McCord said addendums to the contract will come later to show that.
The approval of the issuance of contracts came in two motions, one for administrators and the other for certified staff, professional staff, psychologists, support services staff and hourly employees.
Other items
The board appointed Dawn Koberstein as the director of early learning for the next school year. Koberstein is principal at Mesquite Elementary School and said it was difficult to leave that position, but that she has a heart and passion for early learning, where success starts.
The board approved a correction to the fiscal year 2021-22 final expenditure budget that results in an additional $35,600 to the district’s general budget limit.
The board approved the distribution of $1.9 million in results-based funding from the state. The funding, decided by a state formula dependent on spring 2021 student performance data, will result in stipends for professional and support staff and money for professional development, training, resources, and materials at the schools. The qualifying schools were:
Ashland Ranch Elementary
Canyon Rim Elementary
Carol Rae Ranch Elementary
Gilbert Classical Academy
Greenfield Elementary
Harris Elementary
Highland Park Elementary
Meridian Elementary
Neely Traditional Academy
Patterson Elementary
Quartz Hill Elementary
Spectrum Elementary
Superstition Springs Elementary.
Tom Blodgett Senior News Editor | Gilbert @sp_blodgett
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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