RC Superintendent Tidbits
By: Mark Otten
Rock County School Board of Education entered into the collective bargaining ring with Rock County Education Association representatives to discuss the negotiated agreement for the 2022-2023 school year. As most of you know, Rock County Public Schools have been very conservative over the past two years as there was a significant deficit in the general fund, which is where all staff is paid out of. With support from the community, the school board has been able to change the trajectory of the general fund and we are now moving in the right direction. We are not completely out of the woods with the fund balance but as of right now, we are not in jeopardy of having to borrow money to pay the bills.
As you also know, especially if you have kids in the district and you had to work with them through remote learning during the spring of 2020, teaching has been more difficult and stressful over the past few years than it has ever been. Teachers have been asked to do more and in Rock County, we have not been able to show appreciation through that due to our financial situation. This year is no different but the school board was able to do better for our teachers than we have over the past two years. The certificated staff will be receiving a 4.8% raise on their total package of salary and benefits. This takes into account all of the benefits that go along with the salary such as retirement and insurance. I am very thankful for the job our certificated staff does every day and I am glad the board was able to provide them with a little better raise for next year based on the additional stress being put on the staff due to COVID and the social unrest in the country.