December 4, 2013
12/05/13 On December 3, The Plymouth School Board revisited a proposed employee Referral Bonus Program as a way to find potential school bus drivers. According to Superintendent Daniel Tyree, schools all over the state are experiencing the same type of difficulties in attracting school bus drivers. Tyree said Plymouth Community School Corporation (PCSC) had two retirements in the spring of this year and they anticipate a couple of more retirements within the next few years.
The Referral Bonus Program would reward bus drivers who submit the names of possible drivers that are eventually hired. Payments of referrals may be paid in periodic payments until the new employee has competed his or her probationary period. Payment cannot be made until the referred candidate has been employed for a minimum of one month. The payment schedule could possibly include a $150 referral bonus awarded after three months from the hire date and an additional $350 bonus paid at the end of the first twelve months of employment.
Funding the program must come from existing department resources. Tyree noted in the November School Board meeting and again at the December meeting, that advertising in the South Bend Tribune for a weekend for drivers can cost as much or more that $500. Tyree said, “I would rather have the money go to a person.”
The PCSC Human Resource office will monitor the use of the Referral Bonus Program.
According to the guidelines, the process will be fair and consistent with the current policy and procedures, with no bias for or against candidates whose selection might make another employee eligible for a referral bonus.
In other matters, the public hearing convened to roll over the contract of Superintendent Daniel Tyree lasted less than two minutes. There was no one in the audience wishing to speak either for or against the contract. An Indiana State law from 2012 ((IC 20-26-5-4-3 C) makes in mandatory for school corporations to hold a public hearing for a superintendent contract ,even if there are no changes.
Tyree’s four-year contract approved in November of 2012 contained the following: Annual Basic Salary, $108,432; Annuity, $6.500; VEBA, $2,331; Gasoline Allowance, $3,000; Annual Board Contribution to Group Health/Dental/ Vision Insurance Program, $18,707; and Association Memberships, $800. Benefits are now listed as a total of $43,879.
The Board evaluation for the superintendent process consists of each individual Board member completing a rubric with several different categories and rating as the following: highly effective, effective, improvement necessary, or ineffective. The Board then meets in an executive session to discuss the various components and determine the final evaluation document.
Board member Larry Pinkerton said, “Dan (Tyree) always puts kids, teachers and administrators first.”
Carol Anders Correspondent