LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - The Lafayette Parish School Board’s executive committee is considering how to respond to an external auditor’s questions about discrepancies in the school district’s salary schedule relative to the pay of some principals.
The Advocate reports (https://bit.ly/1cpLyuw ) the audit found that some employees were hired at a rate of pay that conflicted with the salary schedule approved by the board. Auditors also questioned whether the current salary schedule was in line with certain provisions of state law.
The board’s executive committee could take the matter up for further discussion in the next few weeks.
The school system had to submit a corrective action plan to address the issue. That plan involves referring the findings to legal counsel and addressing the issue by March 31.
The school district’s staff proposed the board approve a resolution to seek an attorney general opinion on the issue raised in the audit. However, board members rejected that idea at the March 5 board meeting.
Some board members cited concerns about an untimely response or the lack of one from the Attorney General’s Office because the state legislation at the heart of the issue, Act 1, remains under judicial review.
The law made several changes to education policies, including paying teachers based on performance, and also gave superintendents final say on hiring and firing decisions, a power that until July 2012 was held by school boards.
That shift in power has sparked several debates over the past year between Superintendent Pat Cooper and some board members.
Board President Hunter Beasley said the board could revisit the issue of seeking a legal opinion at its next meeting.
“I think some board members had a problem with the way it was written,” Beasley said of the resolution. “I don’t know if the attorney general was going to issue an opinion about the legality of Act 1 because it’s still in the courts.”
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Information from: The Advocate, https://theadvocate.com
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