The New Franklin Board of Education voted unanimously to increase the wage schedule for the district’s paraprofessionals at its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, November 17.

“We have advertised for a para since June, and we’ve had two applicants - and the two applicants we had, when we talked about salary schedule, said, ‘We just can’t do it,’” Superintendent Brian Cordell told the board. 

The paraprofessional wage schedule in New Franklin has had a starting hourly rate of $9.50. 

Cordell told the board the school needs to hire three paras, currently. “I know we talked about” reviewing the pay schedule “in March, but we don’t have any paras, and our staff is thin now, the way it is.”

Minimum wage is currently $10.30 in Missouri. Effective January 2022, it will increase to $11.15, and in 2023 to $12.00 an hour. The board speculated that getting closer to these rates might help attract applicants for para positions.

After discussion, Travis Hundley moved to increase para pay across the entire wage scale by $1.50, making the starting wage for paraprofessionals in the district $11.00 an hour. The motion passed unanimously.

In October, the board had voted to approve replacement of the school’s elevator, at $36,000. Cordell reported at the November meeting that another $10,000-$13,000 might have to be tacked onto that number to cover replacement of the elevator doors, as well. After some discussion, the board voted unanimously to repair the elevator, rather than spend $46,000 or more to replace it at this time. 

Also at the meeting, Stacy Wells, RN, reported to the board that the district currently has two positive COVID-19 cases, and five members of the community in quarantine, all from outside exposures. No staff are in quarantine. The board did not make any revisions to its COVID policy. 

The board unanimously approved notice of candidate filing. The filing period for candidacy for the next school year opens December 7, 2021 at 8 a.m., and closes December 28 at 5 p.m. Two positions will be in the rotation for the April 5, 2022 general election. Those seats are currently held by Travis Hundley and Kara Schnell.

The Board of Education meets regularly on the third Wednesday of every month. Meetings are open and the public is invited.