COUPEVILLE: Teachers air grievances over pay, contract (WNT)

Luisa Loi reports from the Coupeville School District board meeting of Thu., Jan. 25, 2024 for the Whidbey News-Times.

Teachers and other educators in the Coupeville School District have little confidence in the financial future of the organization or its leadership.

The Coupeville Education Association, which represents all certificated staff in the district, recently presented the school board with a letter that lists a long series of errors and oversights in how the district has handled pay and contracts over the past year.

“These kinds of problems concerning pay should not be an issue in a professional organization,” the letter says.

They Said It

“…[O]ur district’s current financial situation, inaccurate reporting and general lack of leadership, has left our members with little confidence in the financial future of their own pay as well as the district’s solvency,” the letter states.

In an email, Board Member Morgan White said the board was already aware of these issues prior to receiving the letter.

She believes the issues have been caused by some changes in the finance department, such as the migration to a new software that manages payroll and the transition to a new finance director and business manager.

“We value our staff very much and the district has worked very hard to rectify these issues,” she wrote.

During a meeting last Thursday, the board approved an interfund loan transfer of $400,000 from the Capital Projects Fund to the General Fund to cover all January expenses, including accounts payable and payroll. The transfer was made the following day.

According to White, the fund balance has been very low in January because the school doesn’t receive the same amount of revenue from local taxes and state allocations every month. The district intends to pay the loan back by April once it receives higher percentages of state apportionment and the April collection of property taxes.

The school has applied for interfund loans before, and White said all loans have been repaid.