Red Oak superintendent slashes his own pay to meet funding cutbacks

In a step of good faith in a tough time for Red Oak Community Schools, Superintendent Terry Schmidt requested the school board to cut his pay.

“I believe that you shouldn’t just get something for nothing,” Schmidt said. “In my first year here, I learned that this district is in financial trouble, and I had set some pretty lofty goals. I need to look at what we are doing and adjust accordingly.”

Schmidt asked to not be paid for some of the fringe benefits package provided by the district and also declined to be paid for vacation days not used, amounting to just over $8,300.

“What they took out of my compensation will hopefully save a job,” Schmidt said. “I’ve got to get this place healthy.”

The school board also had to make immediate decisions on ways to pinch every penny after the state eliminated $612,654 in general funding this year.

Approved actions included reducing all maintenance department staff by three hours per week ($12,496), reducing to half-time status two maintenance department workers ($9,800), reduction of a part-time food service worker and reassigning their duties to the Director of Maintenance and Operations ($10,000), reassigning of paraprofessionals ($11,810), freezing all general fund expenditures ($50,000), closing all district physical plant facilities for 16 days over winter break ($12,000) and reducing all office personnel by three hours per week ($12,919), totaling approximately $119,025 this fiscal year.

The biggest concern among staff and members of the community was the reduction of hours for office personnel.

“If I died tomorrow, my school would be running like nothing happened, because of them,” Washington Intermediate School Principal Doug Barry said about his front office staff.

The original proposal was to cut all office staff’s hours by five a week but the board decided to only reduce their time by three hours, due to the public outcry.

The board also voted to make it easier for early retirement, increasing the number of employees that would be eligible.

The deadline for those who would like to take part in early retirement is Jan. 15.

The district is looking at the possibilities of taking out a loan through Iowa School Cash Anticipation Program (ISCAP), which is set up for schools that are in financial trouble, to finish the fiscal year.