The district’s HR Committee, with members (L-R) Jeff Ebel, Jeff Presley, Administrative Liasion Florence Haley, Chairwoman Kim Shirek and Superintendent Attila Weninger. (City-Times photo)

By Joel Murillo

The Stevens Point School Board Human Resources Committee met August 18 for the first time since April of 2013.

The Committee is chaired by School Board Member Kim Shirek and comprised of fellow Board members Chris Scott, Jeff Presley, and Jeff Ebel. Florence Haley, the district’s Human Resources serves as administrative liaison. Superintendent Attila Weninger was also present.

Discussed topics included a review of the district’s voluntary and involuntary transfer procedures, and administrative contracts. Shirek in June said the “first thing” she wanted to achieve on the committee was to redraft contracts in the district. But Monday she said the committee’s main objective was to communicate with members of the district.

“It’s just starting the conversation, getting the committee up and running, which was goal one, opening a dialect with the staff, making sure the staff knows that they are very welcome to speak,” Shirek said. “I want this to be open, as much as we can with the staff, and I think that’s important.”

All of the items on Monday’s agenda were discussion only and none were voted upon. But the committee did agree to take up addressing needed changes within the district’s employee handbook, with Board Member Chris Scott saying some language housekeeping needs to take place.

“I think it gives those people a lot more security when they understand what’s happening,” Scott said, adding the Board had already undergone a great deal of discussion on the handbook but where unable to make many changes.

Committee members also discussed the possibility of no longer paying for administrator attendance at state or national educational conventions. Haley argued against the idea, saying the networking opportunities and new ideas brought back from these conventions were “extremely important”.

“To remove it, it’s not affecting anything,” Haley said.

The Committee also may make changes to mileage reimbursement policy. Weninger has come under fire for submitting mileage reimbursement request for driving between Bliss Educational Services Center and Ben Franklin Junior High, which are located less than 100 yards apart, during working hours.

Scott said administrators who did submit mileage requests had been following current board policy, but she also said she wanted comparison of how other districts operate.

“(We) don’t know what other districts’ contracts are looking like,” Scott said. “It’s kind of like ‘is this the norm?’ or ‘are we doing more or less?’”

The Human Resources Committee plans to meet again on Monday, September 8 at 7:45 PM in Bliss Educational Service Center.