MURRAY — Murray teachers slammed the brakes on contract negotiations again Thursday, partly because the district recruited a football coach at top salary as the other 370 teachers face a pay cut.
"He is a great guy, and he is an incredible football coach, and it's a great asset to have this guy coming to Murray. (The) issue with our teachers is not (the coach), and it's not football. It's the principle of the thing," Murray Education Association President Star Orullian said Thursday morning. "Teachers think if they can find money for a football coach, they can find money for our salaries."
But Murray School District officials say the new Murray High football coach, who will also teach high-demand business classes, was hired within perimeters of board policy and a new, albeit controversial, state law allowing districts to contract with individual teachers.
"Some people wonder if we'd do that for a math teacher or some other academic (instructor)," Superintendent Richard Tranter said.
The answer is yes, he says. "It's not that at all. It's supply and demand."
The situation, however, may lighten a little today. The district and teachers will resume negotiations this afternoon, Orullian said.
Teacher contract negotiations have been difficult for a couple of years, as districts battle an economic slowdown, state budget cuts and rising insurance costs.
The district is working to balance a $1.2 million deficit by cutting programs, including elementary music specialists, two secondary school level teaching positions, and secretarial support at district offices, district officials say.
Teachers understand the financial picture. But hiring a new football coach outside typical practice rubs them wrong.
Chris "Keeko" Georgelas, East High's athletic director, acting football coach and a business teacher, was hired at his full experience level — something that rarely happens for teachers changing districts.
Georgelas was hired on the 12th step of the salary schedule, indicating 12 years of experience, district personnel director Martha Kupferschmidt said. Step 12 equals $46,065 a year. He also will receive a coaching stipend, as is traditional in most school districts.
Georgelas normally would have come in at the ninth step, which equals $40,717, had the board not felt both positions he was filling were of "critical need," Kupferschmidt said
Georgelas was unaware of the issue surrounding his hire.
"I went in and applied, they interviewed me and hired me, and they made the deal worthwhile," he said. "Sometimes, you've (districts) got to do what you've got to do. . . . I intend to be a great business teacher, not just a coach."
The some $5,000 above step nine the coach received in the hiring would not have gone to teacher raises anyway, Kupferschmidt said. Georgelas' pay comes from applied technology education funds, separate from the regular pay pot.
"This is a completely legal and appropriate decision by the board," Kupferschmidt said, adding the jobs were "billed as two critical positions."
A new law also backs the decision.
SB154 allows districts to strike contracts with individual educators.
But two teachers who spoke with the Deseret News on condition of anonymity say they doubt the law was intended to be used for a football coach.
SB154 often has been dubbed as an education reform bill, in which sponsors intended to get schools back to basic academics with less time on electives and extracurricular activities.
Murray teacher contract negotiations screeched to a halt about two weeks ago, partly over the same issue, Kupferschmidt said Wednesday.
But there are other issues, too, said Orullian, who is also the district's coordinator for safe and drug-free schools.
"We're asking for our salary schedule to remain the same," she said.
The district lost state money in its quality teaching block grant, which has gone toward an extra day's pay for professional development.
The district worked its budget so teachers would lose just a half-day's pay. It also plans to cover about 80 percent of rising insurance costs.
Teachers, however, want the district to come up with the $38,000 needed to fund the remaining half-day's pay.
"Our teachers have not even seen a cost of living (increase) for two years . . . and we just feel like that perhaps in their funding of programs and projects, they may be able to cut to find that half a day," Orullian said. "(The board) has made a concerted effort . . . (and) we have an incredible relationship, and always have, so this is extremely difficult."
E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com