NAMPA, Idaho —
Nampa School Board held a special board of trustees meeting Monday evening.
During the meeting, members discussed:
- The requested resignation of a special education instructor
- Interim superintendent, Gregg Russell; the board decided on his compensation and contract to be extended for another 18 months. Paula Kellerer resigned in early February
- Zone 2 trustee candidate interviews
- Krissy LaMont's board clerk contract
Under Krissy LaMont's initial proposed contract obtained by the Idaho Press, Lamont would work as board clerk as an independent contractor for the district, earning $50 per hour for 30 hours of work per week, for a total of 120 hours per month. That translates to $72,000 per year. And if LaMont works more than her allotted 120 hours per month, she will earn $100 per hour for that time.
"If funding was different, like yes, let's pay every single person what they deserve, but it's really hard for me to go from just under $9,000 to a $70,000 contract," said Trustee Mandy Simpson.
The Nampa school board has decided to continue negotiating LaMont's contract. The school board voted to pay Lamont $18.75 per hour for her previous and continued work until a contract has been approved. If Lamont's contract includes a pay increase, she will receive the difference in her hourly rate retroactively.
Tammy Wallen, the board’s previous clerk worked less than 10 hours per week, said Kathleen Tuck, communications director for the Nampa School District. Wallen works full-time as the district’s administrative assistant to the superintendent, Tuck said. The clerk job was an added-on, part-time job, Tuck said.
LaMont was appointed by the board at its Jan. 18 meeting, according to reporting from Idaho Education News. She worked as the development director for the Idaho School Board Association until Sept. 9, 2021, according to Idaho Education News. In the past year, she has been charged with driving under the influence and with petit theft, both misdemeanors. She pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in October.
LaMont has pleaded not guilty in the petit theft case, whose plaintiff is the State of Idaho. Her next court date is a jury trial set for April 25, according to online court records.
"The misdemeanor that I pled guilty to does not disqualify me from being hired with your district nor would it disqualify me from holding an Idaho teaching certificate, secondly, there is a pending charge against me, I am innocent until proven guilty and I anticipate those charges to be dropped," LaMont said.
Prior to the meeting, letters of recommendation for LaMont were made public on the district's agenda. One of her previous employers became aware of a letter of recommendation that was issued to LaMont three years ago. Karen Echeverria worked with LaMont at the Idaho School Boards Association for five years, she claimed that LaMont repurposed her old letter of recommendation.
"I just didn't want my name attached to her being able to get that job," Echeverria said. "I chose to write to the board to let them know that, had she asked me if she could reuse that letter, I would have told her no."
Echeverria said she could not comment on LaMont's employment but if she were asked to write her a new letter of recommendation today, she would say no.
Read the school district's full agenda below:
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