By Tim Leeds
The Havre School Board has approved salary increases for the district's administrative team for the next three years.
The contract provides a 4 percent increase next year, with increases of 3 percent in the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 school years.
The increase will be a "whole pot" increase, with the total amount paid by the district to the entire administration team raised by those amounts. The exact raise each administrator gets will be adjusted based on the length of administrative service to the district, previous experience, education and individual responsibilities.
The administrative contract applies to the assistant superintendent, director of operations and the rest of the administrative team, including school principals.
The superintendent's contract is negotiated separately. Superintendent Kirk Miller is currently in the second year of a two-year contract, and received a 3 percent raise this year.
The salary increase is almost identical to raises offered to the Havre Education Association earlier this year, which the HEA declined to accept. That offer also included 4, 3 and 3 percent increases over three years.
The HEA issued a statement following its refusal of the contract, saying the restructuring of the Havre schools and actions by the 2001 Legislature made significant changes in the situation.
Ric Floren, director of operations for the district, told the board Tuesday that collective bargaining negotiations with the HEA will begin this week. He said Rick D'Hooge has been hired as negotiator for the board.
