Moses Lake School District administrators get raises

MOSES LAKE - District superintendent Michelle Price will receive a 1 percent raise for the 2012-13 school year, making her salary $136,000.

Moses Lake School Board members approved salaries for principals and administrators in the district office at the regular board meeting Thursday. Executive director for business Mark Johnson, executive director for elementary education Linda McKay and executive director for secondary education Dave Balcom will be paid $122,000 for the school year. Price said the three district office positions hadn't received a raise in six years, although different people taking those jobs might have received raises. District officials are trying to keep administrative salaries comparable with other schools of 5,000 to 8,000 students, Price said. The 2012-13 raises are a first step, she said.

Principal salaries are being adjusted to be competitive with the rest of the Big 9, Price said, part of a three-year contract negotiated with the principals. The raises will move Moses Lake to about the middle of the pack, she said. Principals had not received a raise in three years.

Depending on the years of experience, the high school principal will make from $102,565 to $113,961; middle school principals will make from $95,846 to $106,496 and elementary principals from $89,837 to $99,819. The Columbia Basin Secondary School principal will make from $92,765 to $103,072.

Board chair Kevin Donovan said he thought administrators deserved the raises, since they had deferred salary increases while staff positions were cut and workloads increased. Board member Vickie Groff said she thought the central office staff deserved a raise after six years.

In other business, Johnson reported the district finished May with a reserve of about 8.56 percent.