NEWPORT — The School Board last week voted 4-1 to make adjustments in the budget for the upcoming year and award nonunion employees of the school district a 2.5% raise.

The adjustments, which totaled about $146,800 in salary, Social Security and retirement line items, were made within the $21.88 million default budget, which will be implemented July 1 as a result of voters rejecting the $22 million proposed budget in March.

Superintendent Donna Magoon, at Thursday’s board meeting, stressed that the district is not cutting any teacher or paraprofessional positions and is not exceeding the default budget.

“Our goal is to hire all of these people,” said Magoon, who told board members the raises are necessary to retain staff.

The raises support the goals of keeping “what you have in place,” she said.

“We want to make sure we keep our staff in place in the district because the only way we are going to move forward is to have that. And if we start having administrators jumping ship, we will see a lot more teachers jump ship. So this does support that goal of the district (of staff retention).”

Board member Kathryn Boutin said the pay raise “seems to go against the spirit of what taxpayers were voting for (with the default budget.)”

Boutin still voted for the raises along with Chairman Steve Morris, as well as board members Darrell Jones and Ashley Glasscock.

But board member Melissa Mitchler, who teaches math at the Richmond Middle School in Hanover, voted against the money being shifted for raises because she said it goes against the message voters sent.

“To me, it appears we are cutting the teachers and para(professional) lines to pay for other raises,” Mitchler said. “The town voted on the default budget which means the status quo. That is the budget that passed. I hate to say no raises but in my opinion, when they said the default budget, that meant everything stays the same.”

In response, Magoon said if that were the case, the administration would never be allowed to move money to different line items as needed.

“That happens all year long,” Magoon said. “We plan a budget months ahead so we are constantly moving money and in some cases we don’t have to come to the board.”

Mitchler said she is not suggesting that money should not be moved but instead believes the salaries in the default budget should not change: “That is what the town voted for.”

The defeated budget included a new contract for paraprofessionals and, in a separate warrant article, voters also defeated an additional pay increase for teachers on top of what they will receive next year in the third year of their contract.

Mitchler also said to fund the raises, the district hopes to hire teachers and paraprofessionals at lower pay scales, meaning fewer years teaching experience and perhaps just a bachelor’s degree.

“We are saying, we are not going to hire experienced teachers,” Mitchler said. “We are hiring new teachers and that doesn’t sit well with me.”

In determining whether the district can afford the raises, Magoon said, administrators looked at teachers who are leaving the district or retiring, as well as the positions in the district.

She said staff coming in will be at a lower step and make less money, which allows the administration to move money from the teacher salary line and special education to other budget lines without changing the budget total. About $40,000 was cut from the teacher salary line item, reducing it to $2.9 million.

Magoon, who had included the 2.5% raises for nonunion employees in the defeated budget, opened her presentation to the board by outlining the district’s goals of improving student achievement, improving climate and culture, creating a safe and healthy learning environment and increasing community engagement.

She listed the positions with raises, including SAU staff, custodial positions, bus drivers, business administrator, technology coordinator, curriculum director and athletic director, which will move from part-time to full-time with a salary increase from $30,700 to $62,154. There is no increase in the superintendent’s position, Magoon said.

Morris said they are trying to take care of employees and agreed with Magoon, who said it will help in the area of retention.

On Friday, Magoon said that some employees leave the district because they are moving, but many others because of money.

“It is financial,” Magoon said. “They can’t provide for their families.”

Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.