FWCS To Freeze Administrator Salaries And Target Teachers

June 18, 2010 Updated Feb 25, 2010 at 7:30 PM EDT

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - In an effort to save $15 million dollars, district leaders with Fort Wayne Community Schools will freeze salaries for administrators and negotiate a similar deal with teachers.

In a Thursday afternoon press conference, school board President Mark GiaQuinta broke it down.

Salary schedules will be amended so the district's top five administrators will not receive automatic step increases in July. All other administrative salaries will be frozen as well. Those moves would save $270,284.

That is only a fraction of the $15 million dollars officials need to cut. The bigger cuts may have to come from teacher salaries.

"There comes a time when people have to decide whether the pie should be cut in many smaller pieces so that more people have a slice,or divide it in a way where fewer folks have a bigger slice," explained FWCS Board President Mark GiaQuinta.

The board's plan, which will be officially introduced on Monday, teachers will be asked to forgo raises for the next year. That is projected to save $1.7 million.

Under state law, the boad cannot cut pay raises for teachers on their own. They will have to sit down with the teacher's union to negotiate.

Steve Brace, who represents the Fort Wayne Education Association tells Indiana's NewsCenter that he recognizes the district's financial picture, but says it's too early to comment on whether the union will consider the proposal.

If the teachers reject the measure, officials say jobs will have to be cut.

"The less that we can save out of that 15 million, the more teachers and other personnel will have to be let go and we just hate that. We hate that with a passion, " said GiaQuinta.

Further cost cutting proposals will be discussed during the board's next meeting Monday, March 1st at 5:30pm at the Grile Administration Building. The public is encouraged to attend.

Stay with Indiana's NewsCenter for further updates.