BCLUW board approves pay raise for secretaries

The BCLUW board of education voted to raise the pay of each of its four district secretaries—Pam Schipper, Tambra Simpson, Cami Parker and Jen Hoveland—by a dollar an hour during Monday morning’s regular meeting, but not before one member expressed concern that it could create an unsustainable “domino effect” if other employees demand higher wages.
           
“Are we setting a precedent that we’re willing to negotiate? We become hostage—and maybe that’s not a good word—to the whims of everyone,” LJ Kopsa said. “There comes a tipping point where you can’t pay someone more for the job that they’re performing and have it make sense.”
           
As Superintendent Ben Petty noted, the raises will also increase the amount that BCLUW puts toward each secretary’s Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax and Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) fund by around 17 percent—or about $2,000 annually.
           
Petty explained that the average rate for secretaries in similarly sized rural districts is generally between $9.50 and $14 an hour, and BCLUW fell somewhere in the middle. Eventually, the board voted 6-1 to approve the raises, with Kopsa dissenting.
           
“I just worry about the domino effect,” he said. “People don’t understand how much it costs to give a raise… It’s not just a dollar.” 
 
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