The De Soto School District will spend $90,927.75 more on salaries for administrators and professional contract employees during the 2023-2024 school year.
District officials have budgeted $1,448,215.75 for those salaries in the coming year, up from $1,357,288 this school year, which ends June 30.
Superintendent Josh Isaacson said the district will add a secondary level assistant principal position that had been cut five years ago, and Chris Krueger, the dean of students at Vineland Elementary School, was promoted to fill the job. He will be an assistant principal for the junior high and high schools, as well as the district’s alternative school, which is called the Innovative Learning Center and is housed in the De Soto Junior High building.
The Innovative Learning Center, which opened last school year, serves students in grades six through 12 who have struggled with behavior, attendance and academic issues.
Krueger will start his new duties on July 1 and will be paid a $75,000 annual salary next school year, up from his current salary of $60,875.
“The district added the Innovative Learning Center last year and through conversations with the secondary staff, it was determined (the new assistant principal position) was needed to assist with the ILC, as well as with assistant principal duties at the high school and junior high,” Isaacson said. “Five years ago, the district had two assistant principals at the high school and the position was reduced with budget cuts, so this is in effect putting the same number of administrators at the secondary campus that we have had previously.
“I believe the current staffing for the coming year is appropriate to meet the needs of the students and staff we are here to support.”
Before the start of the 2022-2023 school year, the board adjusted most all the administrators’ salaries so the district’s pay would be competitive with school districts in and around Jefferson County, Isaacson said.
However, the superintendent’s salary wasn’t raised at that time.
Isaacson will receive a raise for the upcoming year, though, when he will be paid a $175,400 annual salary, up from his current salary of $160,185.
He said the board looked at other superintendent salaries before making the adjustment.
“In conducting the comparison, the board reviewed superintendent salaries in Jefferson County, Washington County and St. Francois County with schools of comparable size to De Soto, as well as the superintendent experience of the individuals, along with other benefits such as board paid mileage or monthly travel reimbursements, the number of working days, number of vacation days, insurance and health benefits, etc.,” he said.
Isaacson’s salary includes compensation for mileage so he can’t claim it separately.
If he continues his contract through the 2024-2025 year, he will receive a $1,925 salary increase for that school year.
Most of the remaining administrators will receive smaller raises for the 2023-2024 school year, somewhere between 1.1 percent and 1.3 percent, although Zeb Hammond, the De Soto Junior High School assistant principal, will get a larger raise because that salary was not adjusted before the start of the current school year.
“If an individual did not receive an increase (for next school year), it would be because they are at the top end of our administrative salary projection for the position,” Isaacson said.
He said the district’s other employees also will receive raises.
“Individuals will be receiving a $500 increase this coming year and we have provided increases to various positions, such as bus drivers, paraprofessionals, recess aids, maintenance this past year to make them competitive with surrounding districts,” Isaacson said. “We also started a career ladder last year for certified staff to maximize local tax dollars by getting 60 cents on the dollar from the state to fund the program.”
2023-2024 administrator and professional contract salaries
- Josh Isaacson, superintendent, $175,400
- Ron Farrow, assistant superintendent, $117,800
- Jon Roop, De Soto High School principal, $110,000
- Matt Deaton, De Soto High School assistant principal, $98,322
- Josh Phipps, De Soto Junior High School principal, $94,375.00
- William Nunn, Athena Elementary School principal, $92,187.50
- Dustin Washam, Vineland Elementary School principal, $92,187.50
- Russ Schmidt, athletic director, $88,000
- Christina Kasmarzik, director of human resources, $76,006.25
- Travis Rogers, director of maintenance/custodial, $76,006.25
- Eric Young, director of transportation and safety and security, $76,006.25
- Zeb Hammond, De Soto Junior High School assistant principal, $75,000
- Chris Krueger, secondary assistant principal, $75,000
- Melissa Dunnegan, Vineland Elementary School assistant principal, $71,925
- Megan Wagner-Westermayer, Athena Elementary School assistant principal, $70,000
- Nick Stearns, Vineland Elementary School dean of students, $60,000