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University City Board of Education Adopts New Teacher Salary Schedule

A new 6th grade math curriculum and teacher salary schedule among the motions adopted Thursday night.

The University City Board of Education had little on its plate Thursday night as it prepared for the end of the school year.

Superintendent Joylynn Wilson Pruitt began the meeting with her superintendent announcements and recognitions. She thanked everyone for coming out to the ribbon cutting for the new Barbara C. Jordan Elementary School. And she implored everyone to attend the retirees banquet and awards ceremony on Thursday, May 12, at Julia Goldstein, where Cassandra Connor and Charlotte Tatum will be publicly honored for winning teacher and support personnel of the year. The event is free.

The board recognized students who were participating in the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) Bridge Program. The program challenges the math and science skills of exceptional high school students in order to prepare them for college and the workforce. Nine students from University City High School took part in the program.

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The board also recognized a collection of students from Brittany Woods Middle School who took part in the DUKE Talent Identification Program. Six students took part in the program, which cultivates talented 7th graders through advanced courses and early ACT testing in order to expand their already considerable skills.

The bulk of the meeting was spent discussing the recent meeting with University City Education Association and the agreed upon salary scheduling that came about. Chief Financial Officer Scott Hafertepe and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Darryl Cobb outlined the negotiations and urged the board to approve the new deal, which would grant an average 2.25% increase in teacher salaries across the board. The University City School District is traditionally behind the surrounding school districts in terms of teacher salaries, particularly in regards to extracurricular activities such as sports. Coaches in the district receive up to 20% less than their peers, and the new deal hoped to cut that deficit in half.

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"This deal represents the best way to ensure we maintain a level of professionalism amongst all our staff," Dr. Cobb said at the end of the presentation.

The board approved the agreement, but a few members did express their desire to see the district's faculty step up. Ellen Bern wanted the district to encourage teachers to become nationally certified. There are only two such teachers in University City, with one retiring and the other moving. Tom Peters also wanted the district to take a closer look at the teacher salaries in surrounding districts to see what they can do to be more competitive.

The board than heard a presentation from Rebecca Soriano, the district coordinator for state and federal programs. She described the changes and recommendations on the various state and federal programs that the district takes part in. The district was in good standing with its current model, and besides a few changes no action was really required. One part of the program, Title IV which deals with drug enforcement, was no longer a part of the federal program, and the school could now write its own plan for enforcement.

Soriano also discussed with the board the district's English language learning program, or the Lau Plan. The district has between 75 and 80 students where English is not the spoken language at home, with 3 English language teachers employed in the district to help them. 

The night ended with Nikki Davenport, the district's coordinator for Science and English, presenting the recommended curriculum for 6th grade students. She wanted to put the emphasis on critical thinking in order to link math with real world problem solving. She pushed the board to adopt the McGraw Hill School Education Group for their supplemental needs. The group would provide textbooks complete with online activities that would provide students with more opportunities to hone their skills at home. There was little debate and all six members present voted for passage. 

Board president Stacy Clay also wanted to wish everyone a happy Mother's Day.

"Without mothers, I wouldn't have a lot to do Thursday evenings," Clay said.

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