PISD balances budget with first raises in two years

Employees of Paris Independent School District will soon get their first raise in two years.

The PISD board approved a $33.65 million 2013-2014 budget Monday that includes a new salary schedule.

“Please notice the expenditure line is exactly the same amount,” Business Manager Tish Holleman told the board as they reviewed projected revenue. “That’s a balanced budget. By the skin of our teeth, it’s a balanced budget.”

Teachers will be paid the state minimum plus $2,500. Not all teachers will receive the same salary increase, although everyone should see some kind of change. Rates depend on what each individual’s salary was before the new schedule was adopted and whether the two-year pay freeze meant they were at the state minimum or not.

The new scale tops out at 20 years of experience, but anyone who is above that will be granted a $1,500 raise, as well.

Aides move up a step on their salary scale. Secretaries and similar hourly positions will receive a 75-cent-per-hour raise, and bus drivers will get a 50-cent bump in their per-route pay. Administrators will see a one percent pay hike, apart from the superintendent.

The pay scale also includes $221,580 in stipends, although Holleman said the only addition was for an English language learner liaison – an extra assignment for an existing teacher to help coordinate districtwide bilingual/ELL efforts.

Board members Rickey Richardson and Jenny Wilson noted that it seems PISD has a lot of stipends budgeted as extra pay for work employees should already be doing, such as foreign language instructors and speech diagnosticians. Robert High, assistant superintendent for human resources, said it’s a must to hire and retain high-demand professionals.

“There are more positions than there are certified teachers,” Superintendent Paul Jones said of the foreign language teachers.

There are also $214,700 in athletic stipends. Athletic Director Steven Hohenberger said the amount didn’t increase, but he did rearrange some of the individual stipends to remove some discrepancy between coaches at various levels.

“I wanted transparency, and I wanted equality,” he said.

Coaches for basketball, volleyball and football were alotted additional funds in the form of 10 additional pay days because they work more in the summer than others, according to Hohenberger.

The budget also includes money for upgraded buses, the beginnings of the implementation of a district vehicle fleet and more school resource officers.

PISD balanced its 2011-2012 budget with 10 percent cuts and a pay freeze. This year’s budget included no pay raises, a few cuts and a $500,000 shortfall.

“I think we’ll be below the deficit y’all passed last June,” Holleman told the board. “I’m hoping it’s close to zero. I’m scared to say an amount because there are still a lot of variables.”

The last state budget included deep cuts in public education. The funding bill adopted this session restored much of that money, which allowed for the pay hike and balanced budget.

“It’s a good budget,” Jones said. “Tish did a great job. This is a perfect example of how reliant each school district is on the state. If we received equitable funding that other districts get per student from the state, we would have a $1 million surplus next year.”

The board typically adopts its tax rate in August.

Paris Wildcat Football Program – Parent Ads available now!

Advertising sales for the 2013 Paris Wildcats football program have begun.  Parents and family members can purchase ads to feature their kids in the full-color program.

Artwork and payment must be received by Friday, August 9, 2013.

Please click here for complete details.

 

Paris Wildcats offer advertising to businesses in upcoming football program

Wildcat Fans,

A great way to be part of the Wildcat tradition is to take an advertisement in the annual football program and sports calendar. Ad sizes range from full page to business card sizes. Whether you are a business owner or a family who wants to recognize their Wildcat, we have the right fit for you.

We have an exclusive agreement with 5Star Sports and our representative, Joe Higginbotham, will be calling on local businesses for advertisements next week.  Please contact him at 214-415-6530 if you would like to schedule an appointment.

 

– Paris Independent School District

Paris High Athletic Camps & Schdule – 2013

Volleyball Camps

June 17^th-20^th

9:00 – 11:00    incoming  3^rd – 6^th graders – $40.00

12:00 – 4:00    incoming 7^th – 9^th graders – $50.00

Britanny Maness, Head Volleyball Coach 

 

Girls Softball Camps

July 10-12 @ PHS Softball Field

-incoming 4^th & 5^th: July 10^th (10-2 p.m.)

-incoming 6^th & 7^th: July 11^th (10-2 p.m.)

-incoming 8^th & 9^th: July 12^th ( 10-2 p.m.)

Cost will be $65.00- includes T-Shirt, lunch, and 3 hours of hitting, fielding, base running, and technical instruction with the softball staff and returning Varsity softball players.

Morgan Harpole, Head Softball Coach

 

Girls Basketball Camps

June 10-13 @PHS Main Gym

-incoming 3^rd - 6^th : 9-11 a.m. – $35.00

-incoming 7^th – 9^th: 12 – 4:30 p.m. – $35.00

Theodore Mackey, Head Girls Basketball coach

 

Tennis

Summer hours for the Paris High School tennis courts

Dates: June 17^th – August 21, 2013

Days:   Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesdays

Time: 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Jim Davis, Tennis Coach

 

Baseball 

Camp 1: Ages 6-10 yrs old

                 Date: June 24^th & 25^th

                 Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon

                  $40.00

 

Camp 2: Ages 11 years old – students entering 9^th grade

Dates: June 26^th & 27^th

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon– $40.00

Camp Director Bill Sikes Paris High School Head Baseball Coach

Phone numbers: (903) 737-7427 and (903) 517-6828

 

Soccer

PHS Ladycat and Wildcat Soccer Camp

Ages: K-9^th

Date: June 20^th& 21^st

Time: 5:00 p.m. – 8:00  p.m.

Location: PHS Field

$20.00 or $35.00 for 2 in family 

Coach Beshirs Head Soccer Coach- (903) 227-7324

 

Football

Little Wildcats Football Camp

Ages: 3^rd,4^th,5^th and 6^th graders

Date: July 22^nd thru July 25^th

Place: Wildcat Stadium

Time: 8 a.m. -10 a.m.

Cost: $10.00 (includes Camp T Shirt)

 

Future Wildcat Football Camp

Ages: 7^th,8^th, and 9^th graders

Date: July 22^nd thru July 25^th

Place: Wildcat Stadium

Time: 8 a.m. -11:30 a.m.

Cost: $10.00 ( Includes T Shirt)

Registration deadline Monday, July 8^th. Forms are at the Field House Office. Will be glad to e-mail or fax form to you. Just call (903) 737-7427

 

Summer Strength and Conditioning

High School and Junior High

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of each week

Girls: 8:00 Lift and 9:00 Run

Youth/JH: 9:00 a.m. Lift and 10:00 a.m. Run

HS Boys: 10:00 a.m. Lift -11:00 a.m. Run 

P.M. Work Out Sessions

6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Monday and Thursday

 

Wildcat 7 on7

6 p.m. @ Wildcat Stadium

Tuesday’s –June 11^th, 18^th, and 25^th

Please make checks to PHS Athletics (sport) our address is Athletic Dept. 2255 South Collegiate, 75460.

Please feel free to call Nancy Morgan, Athletic Department @ 903 737-7427 if you have any questions.

PISD looks to expand vehicle fleet for safety, savings

As discussed in the most recent school board meeting, Paris Independent School District plans to get some new wheels in the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1.

In a recent budget workshop, Superintendent Paul Jones recommended buying a set of used buses and the beginnings of a fleet of cars for staff travel. He suggested purchasing two cars before this year’s budget expires June 30, then another next year with savings from mileage reimbursements.

The PISD buses are stretched thin as is, and band members have even been known to arrive late to games because they’re riding a bus that had to finish a route, according to Business Manager Tish Holleman.

“If you’ve ever seen our parade of buses on Friday night, it’s a long string because we’re transporting so many people,” she said.

Even though many of those buses are technically 72-passenger vehicles, such a number of bodies can only fit when sitting three to a seat. They actually hold one per seat on such trips, or 24 students.

The district is looking to purchase four used “activity” buses at $25,000 each, which would be used to transport students to events, freeing up other buses for routes and allowing older models to be retired. These will be similar to charter buses, able to hold two per seat with room for storage underneath.

“If we don’t get some of these buses off the road, I think we’re liable as a board,” board member Dr. Gordon Strom said.

PISD is one of the few districts in the area that does not maintain its own fleet of cars for employees to use, Holleman said. Instead, workers frequently drive their own vehicles and are paid 45 cents per mile, but that often creates insurance problems. District insurance does not cover anyone driving a private car, only district vehicles.

It’s a cost-saving effort in the long run, Holleman said. Once the district has enough cars to meet the demand for travel, anyone who decides to drive himself wouldn’t get reimbursed for the mileage. Insurance would increase roughly $250 per month per vehicle.