NEWS

Trustees approve Lacey pay raise, new curriculum

Kristen Cates
GreatFalls

Great Falls Public Schools trustees decided Monday night to reward Tammy Lacey for her hard work as superintendent with a significant salary bump over the next three years.

Trustees approved increasing Lacey’s salary from approximately $136,000 to $150,000, where it will remain for the next three years of her contract. Trustees applauded her work as superintendent over the last two years and as superintendent of the second largest district in the state, was deserving for the increase, which brings her salary more in line with other AA administrators across the state.

“We truly believe you’re the best superintendent in the state and are glad you’ll remain so,” board chairman Jan Cahill said.

Even her sometime-critic Cyndi Baker agreed Lacey’s doing a good job. But she voiced her concern about how a salary increase will look when the district’s possibly going to ask taxpayers to support a building levy this year.

“I think you’re doing a fabulous job, and you’re worth every penny,” Baker said to Lacey.

Lacey thanked the board and told them she couldn’t work for better bosses.

Also at Monday’s meeting, trustees approved spending close to $1 million on new English language arts curriculum for the kindergarten through sixth grades, even after at least one person expressed concern the district was rushing through the adoption process.

Barbara Going, a write-in candidate for the school board, said she reviewed the curriculum and liked it, for the most part. However, she said she didn’t think the school district and the Great Falls Tribune did enough to notify the public where and how they could review the curriculum, which was available at the Great Falls Public Library, the school district offices and on the school district’s website.

“Can we go another two weeks before we order it?” Going asked.

Curriculum Director Chris Olszewski said the district could hold off and it wouldn’t impact the price of the textbooks and other materials. However, with 61,000 pounds of material needing to be shipped in various stages, Olszewski said there was some concern that it would interrupt the timeline to process the new materials and get them in the hands of the teachers.

Trustee Don Ryan said the district could consider doing more to inform the public in the future, but right now the district doesn’t need to interrupt the schedule.

“It’s a short summer,” Ryan said.

Reach Tribune Staff Writer Kristen Cates at 791-1463. Follow her on Twitter @GFTrib_KCates.