Port Neches-Groves ISD is a step closer to solving its employee stipend inequities but rising utility costs will also take a bite out of the financial pie.

The district met to take a second look at employee compensation Tuesday night. The board of trustees will meet again Aug. 8 to take the discussion further as budget time approaches.

Utility costs coupled with high gas prices and a hike in insurance can move the district’s bill to just shy of the one million dollar mark.

The issue of stipends, money for employees that perform extra duties such as sponsors for University Interscholastic League teams and sports, could rise though no action was made during the meeting.

Stipends for the district’s two middle schools will be made equal. Administrators from Groves Middle School and Port Neches Middle School met with district administrators to iron out the inequities. Stipends for most UIL non-athletic teams will move to $500 with the exception of UIL science, number sense, general math, calculator and coordinator which will move up to $700.

Middle school organizations and extra assignments will move up too. Honor society, $1,000; student council, $1,000; and yearbook and newspaper, $1,200. The stipend hikes are a way to attract more sponsors toward the extra duties and are up from previous stipend pay.

There is also a proposal for all coaches at the middle school level to receive a $1,650 stipend for each sport and an additional $800 for those coaching a third sport. Boy’s middle school head football coach would receive a stipend of $2,050 while the boy’s and girl’s middle school athletic coordinator will receive a $500 stipend. All football coaches and volleyball coaches extra days stay at current levels.

At the high school level, the head coach will receive $10,600 while assistant coaches will receive $1,800 each for their first and second assignments. Head coaches will receive $3,100 for their fist assignment and $1,800 for their second sport.

Superintendent Lani Randall suggested a raise in travel allowance for teachers/coordinators who work at more than one campus, from $750 to $1,000.

“I’m not sure if that is even enough,” Randall said in relation to high gas prices.

Substitute wages were also brought to the table during the meeting.

PN-GISD currently pays substitute certified teachers and those with a four year degree $57 per day with a proposed new rate of $70 per day. Substitutes with no degree receive $52 with a proposed rate of $60. Substitute bus drivers, paraprofessionals, custodians and nurses will also see a raise in the proposed plan.

Some issues the board will address at the next meeting include: inequity with clerical jobs, whether more permanent bus drivers are needed, whether more custodians are needed and Webmaster stipends.

Randall explained the only new discretionary money the district will see is “four golden pennies.” Randall and Business Manager Cheryl Hernandez attended a conference dealing school finance this week. The golden pennies, Hernandez said, comes from the legislature’s reduction of school tax by 88.67 percent. For example, if a district is at the $1.50 tax rate, then the pennies will lower that rate to $1.33 without being subject to a roll back.

The money could generate about $1 million in discretionary money for the district.