SOLON SPRINGS — The Solon Springs School Board on May 15 approved new salary amounts for hourly and office staff.
The vote came when board members returned to open session following a closed session. It included both a 5.97% base increase for the cost of living and a 2.03% increase to bring salaries more in line with other districts, according to District Administrator Frank Helquist.
“For the past number of years we have been working to increase salaries to be more in line with other schools,” he said. "This is a work in progress."
A similar increase for teacher salaries was approved during the April 24 school board meeting, Helquist said.
The estimated budget cost of the salary increases was about $111,000 for returning teachers and about $65,000 for other employee groups, Helquist said.
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In other action, the Solon Springs School Board approved 25 of 26 open enrollment requests. The one not approved was for a child who was not age appropriate to be in school, according to Helquist. The number of families seeking to send their children to school in Solon Springs is at an all-time high, he said.
“We are getting so much knocking on the door about coming to this school, it’s incredible,” Helquist said.
A majority of the families are requesting open enrollment into the district’s public Montessori charter school, according to information provided to the board, but there are limited spaces in the program.
Helquist said the families will be asked if they would still choose to open enroll at Solon Springs if they don’t get their first choice. There are currently projected to be up to six spots available in the Montessori charter school.
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