Updated to correct graduation date to May 22.
Superintendent Jim Smith and treasurer Adam Zink have received raises and contract extensions, according to information provided at Wednesday night’s Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education meeting.
Smith, who was hired as an interim superintendent in 2013 after Rick Earley resigned, had his contract extended one year until August of 2017.
The school board also unanimously approved (board member Jerry Walker was absent) a 5-percent salary increase for Smith this year and a 2-percent increase for next year. His salary after the 5 percent increase is $104,475 a year, according to Zink.
The treasurer said the raises keep Smith in line with 2-percent and 3-percent raises, respectively, the district’s teachers received the past two years. He said the teachers will also receive a 2-percent raise next year.
Board president Terry Britton said the board wanted to keep Smith as the superintendent through the completion of current projects to build new fieldhouse and weight room facilities that are planned for inside the new soccer/track complex and behind the high school/middle school, respectively.
“We decided as a board that Jim has done an excellent job for us. He told us if we would give him the same raise as everyone else he would stay for another year. It was a no-brainer for us,” Britton said. “He’s still under value for most superintendents in the area.”
Britton said that after August of 2017, Hillsboro will have to make a transition to another superintendent, whether that person comes from inside or outside the current staff.
Zink received a raise from $70,000 annually to $86,400. He also had his contract extended three years to August of 2018.
Zink was hired in February of 2014. He said that Debbie Lawwell, the treasurer who preceded him, was making about $81,000 a year when she left and that his raise puts in the same pay range as other area treasurers at schools approximately the same size as Hillsboro.
“We brought him in at a very low rate to make sure he was the guy we wanted and Adam has done way more in the one and a half years he’s been here than most others have done in their entire cycle,” Britton said. “He thinks outside the box and is very good at what he does.”
Britton said Zink’s new contract is based on an average of other treasures at schools in the South Central Ohio League.
“We wanted to keep him and didn’t want it to be a revolving door with our treasurers because we’re on the low end of the pay range,” Britton said, adding that Zink has had offers from other schools. “We decided to get him to an average of other treasurers in the area.”
Zink is a 2002 Hillsboro High School graduate.
In other business, the district’s five-year forecast was presented by Zink at the meeting. It shows Hillsboro with general fund balances of $5.91 million at the end of fiscal year 2016, $6.12 million in 2017, $6.38 million in 2018, $6.45 million in 2019 and $6.75 million in 2020.
Those figures are slightly lower than May’s five-year forecast, which predicted general fund balances of $6.15 million at the end of fiscal year 2016, $6.99 million in 2017, $7.23 million in 2018 and $7.63 million in 2019.
Zink said the lower figures are largely due to the raises teachers received this year and next year.
The board also:
• Voted to move this year’s graduation date up a week to May 22 and change the time to 4:30 p.m. Smith said the date was changed because the school year for Hillsboro students now ends on May 15 and that leaves a large gap between then and the traditional Labor Day weekend graduation date. He said the time was changed because Lynchburg-Clay has graduation earlier in the day on May 22.
• Accepted a donation of $5,000 from NCB to go toward the new track/athletic complex and a donation of $2,800 from New Sabina Industries. Zink said NCB pledged a $5,000 annual donation for a few years and New Sabina also donated $2,800 a year ago that went to the track/athletic complex.
• Heard a request from Darlene Prosek with a local quilting group that holds a quilt show at the Hillsboro schools to lower the rates the school charges. She said the group rents space at the school for four days at a cost of $175 per day, plus has to pay $300 in insurance each year. Prosek said proceeds from the show benefit community groups including the senior center, Humane Society, a home for battered individuals, Highland District Hospital and the local YMCA. She said the group used to donate up to $1,700 a year, but last year was only able to give the YMCA $1,000. No decision was made, but Smith told Prosek, “Just see me. I’ll be more than happy to help you.”
• Heard a report from Richard Stiffler, who said the name of his daughter and other students who attend Laurel Oaks was left off a T-shirt recently made for this year’s seniors. He said the shirt was supposed to have all seniors’ names on it. Smith thanked Stiffler for bringing the oversight to the board’s attention and said the problem will be corrected.
• Approved the following supplemental contracts: Anthony Amore, middle school wrestling; Tyler Anderson, freshman boys basketball; Heidi Cox, language club adviser; Terry Dean, varsity assistant boys basketball; Jeff Miller, head bowling; Jeremy Ratcliff, assistant high school wrestling; Greg Rhoads, elementary wrestling coordinator; Joe Rhonemus, head swimming; Brian Williamson, middle school wrestling.
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.
