MARYSVILLE — The Marysville School Board agreed Monday night to hire a consultant to find an outside adviser to review the district’s finances, staffing and policy issues.
"We are all volunteers. We need a professional to help us with legal and policy issues," new school board member Michael Kundu said. "It is a small investment for a large return."
Kundu, along with other new board members Carol Jason and Vicki Gates, voted in favor of the proposal. Board member Helen Mount voted against it. Board Member Ron Young was excused from the meeting.
The consultant, John Fotheringham with Northwest Leadership Associates, will be paid $75 an hour — with a cap of $4,500, according to the proposal approved by the board.
Fotheringham will be charged with finding a special assistant who could be hired to help the board in setting limitations to complete bargaining with employee unions, review staffing and assist with legal, policy and organizational issues.
The assistant, according to the proposal, also would review the district’s finances, including the impact of decreased enrollment.
A bleak economy and strike-weary parents deciding to send their children elsewhere during the record 49-day teacher walkout took its toll.
The district is down about 500 students from last year and is faced with a $2 million shortfall.
According to Monday night’s proposal, the assistant would be retained for no more than 100 days and the "suggested rate of pay is $500 per day."
Jason said the money would come out of the district’s reserve fund. "That fund is for emergencies. This is an emergency," she said.
Marysville parent Cindy Hickey was not convinced it was a good use of school dollars in a district already short on cash.
"It’s irresponsible. We already have to cut $2 million from the budget. Every cut will affect a student and parent," she said.
She told board members they were elected to make the difficult decisions and shouldn’t "hire another administrator to do their job."
In other developments:
The calendar is available on the district Web site at www.msvl.k12.wa.us.
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