A large number of Mars teachers and concerned community members attended last night’s school board meeting voicing support for a “fair and equitable” new contract.
The teachers have been without a contract since the end of June, arguing for higher wages among other concerns. The Mars district solicitor stated that the fact-finding process with a neutral arbitrator is underway.
A number of other topics were discussed at the meeting as well.
- At their Tuesday night meeting, the board approved the hiring of Brooks Roorback to the newly created full-time position of Mars Area Elementary Assistant Principal at an annual salary of $90,000. The district previously paid a teacher extra to handle some of these responsibilities but continued growth has resulted in the necessity for this hire.
- The Mars Board also made an adjustment to the student attendance policy which previously limited students to three instances of late to school with a parental excuse but did not cover instances of parents removing students from school before the end of the day. The revised policy extends the same rules that apply to late arrival to early removal. This policy does not affect the use of medical excuses.
- Mars administrators also informed the board they will be taking a closer look at student cell phone use including giving a survey to teachers but they do not anticipate any changes before school begins next month.
