The Grandview R-2 School District plans to spend $26,536.14 more on administrative salaries during this school year than it did the previous year.
Grandview will pay $925,089.18 in administrative salaries during the 2023-2024 school year, compared to $898,553.04 during the 2022-2023 school year.
All 12 of the school district’s administrators received a pay raise for this school year. Those raises are tied to the teacher salary schedule, and teachers received raises of 6-8 percent for the 2023-2024 school year, Superintendent Matt Zoph said.
He said district officials wanted to give employees raises to limit high turnover rates in the district.
“We’re seeing a little higher turnover rates than normal, but we’re lucky to have some good teacher candidates, Zoph said. “We’ve been very fortunate; we can’t say that for every year.”
While teacher turnover is a little bit higher, Zoph said the district saw normal or less turnover in the classified staff, such as cafeteria and maintenance workers and bus drivers.
Zoph said the district offers an online school called Missouri Virtual Academy (MOVA) for students around the state, which brought in approximately $750,000 during the 2022-2023 school year, and those funds will be used to cover the teacher pay increases.
The program “meets students where they are,” according to the website, and provides a learning program for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Zoph said about 2,200 students were enrolled in MOVA last year.
Any students in the state enrolled in MOVA are considered Grandview students and show up on DESE enrollment numbers for that district.
Zoph said the 2022-2023 school year was the third year Grandview operated the program, and it has seen growth each year.
He said about 200 students participated in the program in its first year, and about 900 participated in the second. The district receives funding from the state for each student enrolled in the program.
Zoph said about 40 to 50 teachers work at the virtual school.
“We used funding from (MOVA) to give raises this year,” Zoph said. “The (School) board voted to give a substantial raise for teachers, and we’re hoping for another next year.”
Changing roles
The district is down one administrative position from last year, Zoph said.
Cody Mothersbaugh, who had been the Grandview Middle School principal last school year, will also serve as the Grandview High School principal for the 2023-2024 school year.
Nick Stearns had been the high school principal but left to return to De Soto School District, where he previously taught for 16 years.
Mothersbaugh will receive a $20,856.72 raise in the new position as principal for both schools, increasing his salary to $95,450. Last school year he made $74,593.28.
“He’s an excellent administrator,” Zoph said. “We wanted him to continue what he’s doing.”
Terry Edwards will move from part-time to full-time work for the district, working as an assistant principal at Grandview Middle and High School and as athletic director. His salary will increase by $34,653.38 to $76,950.
Grandview Elementary School’s new principal is Brian Duffie, replacing April Byrd, who had been the principal since 2019. She is moving to the Kingston K-14 School District.
Duffie previously was an administrative intern in the Independence School District.
“(Duffie) is a great guy; staff like him,” Zoph said. “He’s strong when it comes to academics – very intelligent and likable.”
The following is a list of the salaries for the Grandview administrators for this school year.
2023-2024 administrative salaries
- Matt Zoph, superintendent, $169,500
- Cody Mothersbaugh, Grandview High School and Middle School Principal, $95,450
- Brian Duffie, Grandview Elementary School Principal, $85,500
- Lori Wolk, Director of Finance, $85,387.50
- Crystal Eoff, Special Education Director, $80,940
- Don Jeffries, Curriculum Director, $80,370
- Terry Edwards, Grandview High School and Middle School Assistant Principal, Athletic Director, $76,950
- Allen Davis, Director of Special Projects, $58,392.50
- Chad Reynolds, Director of Maintenance and Grounds, $56,350
- Rebecca McAnally, Human Resources Specialist, $52,354.65
- Rhonda Engler, Director of Transportation, $42,352.68
- Sheila Zielinski, Lead Custodian, $41,541.85