Bamberg School District One faculty and staff members will continue to be paid on a monthly basis after a proposal to pay employees on a twice per month basis was voted down at Monday night’s November 28, board of trustees meeting at the Richard Carroll Primary School.

Trustee board members in a 3-2 vote agreed to keep the present pay schedule in place until the 2012-2013 school years when the matter can be reconsidered when the district’s construction projects and other related matters are complete.

In discussion of the possible change in pay schedule for district employees, district finance director Devon Furr noted that a survey of employees was done to ascertain if employees wanted to be paid once or twice per month, with the results showing 86 employees wanting to be paid once per month and 102 wanting to be paid twice per month.

Furr noted that the survey may “not have been fair” because the employees that did not care about a change did not respond. She stated that she was not saying that in the future a change could not be made to pay employees twice per month, and if the proposal passed or not no changes could be made before July of next year.

“Some people are happy with once per month,” Furr said in asking on behalf of her department that the schedule be left as it is until the district’s construction and renovations projects and related paperwork is complete.

Trustee board vice chair Rita Sease, who proposed that employees be paid twice per month, stated that she understood that Bamberg District One was one of the few districts that pay once per month. Furr noted that in making contact with several other districts, “she was surprised” that more districts than she thought, including several of the larger districts paid once per month.

“Some districts pay different ways. Some pay some employees once per month and others employees twice per month,” Furr said adding the district needed to look at how other districts pay their employees ,” noting whatever changes take place in the future it will “take a lot of work.”

Also during the meeting:

• In an update on the district’s construction/renovation projects Dale Collier of Brownstone Construction, Group reported budget wise the elementary school construction project “is in good shape” adding “ we feel very good about where we are with all three projects.”

• In the student/staff recognition report Superintendent Schwarting reported that BEHS senior Bonnie Miller has been awarded the Palmetto Fellow Scholarship. The BEHS football team completed a successful season by going (11-2) and advancing to the lower state finals.

• By a vote of 3-2 trustee board members voted to leave a controversial chapter in a middle school sex education curriculum in place and agreed to have sponsors of the program come back before the board and explain the program more in-depth.

• It was noted that the district received an Absolute Score of “Average” and a Growth Rate of “Excellent” on the latest annual School Report Card.

• After a closed meeting where several personnel matters were discussed trustee board members reconvened to open session an announce Superintendent Schwarting had received a “Satisfactory/Commendable” rating on the Superintendent’s Evaluation.