Questions over paying school principals for summer work stalled preliminary approval of the Fayette County school board's proposed $114 million FY2000 budget Wednesday night.

The board instructed Dr. John DeCotis, school superintendent, and finance director Jim Stephens to take another look at the two budget items for discussion, again Monday night at 7:30 p.m.

The increase in pay for 24 principals comes from approval of a 240-day work year for all district administrators last August. The adjustment added 30 paid days to middle and elementary school principals' working calendar and 10 paid days to high school principals' calendar. According to one principal, the number of paid working days is designated in her signed contract.

“Let's put it off for another year,” suggested board member Woody Shelnutt. He estimated the move would cost at least $322,000 if a planned 4 percent across-the-board pay raise were figured into it as well.

“We've never gotten paid for summer work; we've always just gone up and done it,” Juliette Babb, principal of Fayette Middle School, told the board.

“We approved it (240-day calendar) before the budget developed,” DeCotis reminded the board. “The calendar was sent out to all administrators for this year.”

Chairman Debbie Condon said she remembered talking about it, adding, “In the interest of fairness, a year ago, salaries were on the low end for principals.” She said principals were given a $75 per teacher bonus to bring them more in line with area counties.

Board member Mickey Littlefield cited the county's favorable working conditions as a reason for not paying the area's highest salaries. “It's a better place to work,” he said. But he added, “Principals were led to believe that they're working a 12-month year. That presents a problem.”

After the meeting, Condon said the board needs to ask for as much information as possible before voting on the budget. She agreed that the 240-day calendar is a good idea. “The bottom line is that it's going to cost us a lot of money,” she said.

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