CMS teachers, parents ‘furious’

Dear editor:

Cutter Morning Star teachers and parents are furious.

Documents received from the Arkansas Department of Education show Nancy Anderson’s salary was $73,257 her first full year

(2012-13) as a superintendent. Since then, Anderson’s pay has rocketed to $111,300 for this year, according to the CMS website. That’s a

51.9 percent increase over five years. Meanwhile, I noticed my CMS third-grader’s sweet, competent teacher, who remains completely silent through all of this, has received a pathetic 1.4 percent increase during the same time period. The elementary school’s longtime beloved office secretary has received a 2.3 percent increase.

In the race for raises, Anderson annihilates regional opponents, too. HS Lakeside’s superintendent finishes a distant second with only a 10.4 percent increase over the past four years. Lake Hamilton’s longtime superintendent hasn’t seen a raise in three years. Fountain Lake’s superintendent makes the same this year as last. And Jessieville’s head man, a distinguished doctor with 43 percent more students than CMS, receives less compensation than Anderson.

During Anderson’s tenure, her largest salary increase (24.2 percent) came July 1,

2013, less than a month after slashing faculty to help get CMS off the state’s dreaded fiscal distress list. “Nancy did a good job, making the tough decisions to get us off fiscal distress,” CMS school board VP Eddy Slick says.

CMS elementary enrollment hit an alltime high in August, but it still has at least 10 fewer teachers than it did when the cuts came in 2012-13 and Anderson’s salary started its rapid ascent.

Anderson also holds the regional record for staff turnover, near 100 percent during her tenure at CMS. Research of six other area schools shows none come close to that. CMS admin claims it can’t compete with salaries paid at these other schools, but multiple former employees I interviewed cited Cutter’s “oppressive atmosphere” as a reason for their exit.

In fact, one teacher and her child drive right by CMS daily to a school 30 miles away. “I love Cutter, the community and kids and wish I was still there,” she said. “I don’t like being in the car with my daughter for over an hour every day, but I’m appreciated where I am now. It’s so sad when I see Cutter teachers talking on Facebook about how they are not gonna do a minute of extra work for the school if they’re not getting paid. But, you know what, that’s their attitude because they’re not appreciated, and then they leave.”

At CMS, the second highest pay increase during this time span goes to the superintendent’s administrative assistant at 33.2 percent. And the bookkeeper, a classified employee housed in the same building as Anderson, makes $48,986 or $1,550 more than a teacher with a master’s degree.

CMS board members, who approve all salaries, are neither taking nor returning calls from folks who elected and entrusted them to do what’s best for children.

But at Tuesday night’s board meeting, President Mark Rash told parents requesting Freedom of Information Act documents to “take a hike” and that “transparency is a relationship between this board and (Anderson).” Board Secretary Donna Fincher gave Rash a hearty “amen.” Chad Hooten Hot Springs