By Sheila Anderson
Valley City Times-Record

A long-time Valley City teacher won’t get paid to retire early.
Instead, Valley City school board members followed Supt. Dean Koppelman’s recommendation, voting at a special school board meeting March 24 to deny an early retirement payment to Paul McDaniel, Washington Elementary teacher.  
Koppelman said his recommendation was based on a lack of funds and the fact that no funds had been allocated to the early retirement account in the budget.  
Koppelman said the district’s budget projects a loss of $197,000 for this year, adding that spending in the health fund account has increased and is nearly at the same level as last year’s expenditures, with 14 weeks left in the year.  
The funds gained by the district due to the school funding lawsuit were allocated to implement full-day kindergarten, hire a part-time elementary art teacher, a full-time guidance counselor, implement a learning center position, and provide a salary increase for employees, Koppelman said.
“I believe this recommendation to be fiscally responsible to our school district and taxpayers,” Koppelman said, noting that early retirement payment account money takes dollars away from staff salary and benefit increases.  
Koppelman also recommended a review of the policy portfolio in order to recommend policy changes concerning the early retirement policy.  
The suggestion didn’t excite board member Mike Callahan.
“I don’t even want to deal with this policy anymore,” Callahan said. “I hate that part of it.”

For full story, see Wednesday's edition of the Valley City Times-Record.