The contracts of Austin Public School administrators were approved at Monday's School Board meeting.

The two-year contracts, included the 2002-03 and 2003-04 salaries of Educational Services Director Sheila Berger, Finance and Operations Director Lori Volz, Human Resources Director Julie Jensen, Special Services Director Julie Ladwig. The board is currently working on a formal contract for Superintendent Corrine Johnson, who still is working under a interim contract, but her salary for the 2002-03 and 2003-04 school years also was approved.

For the 2002-03 school year, Berger will receive $72,980, Volz will be paid $84,938, Jensen will get $77,081, Ladwig will receive $75,396 and Johnson will be paid $103,000.

During the 2003-04 school year, Berger will get $75,169, Volz will receive $87,486, Jensen will be paid $78,622, Ladwig will get $77,657 and Johnson will receive $106,090.

Board member Bev Nordby said the board examined several studies, including one about the salaries of people in comparable positions at schools in the Big Nine. However, she said, the superintendent's salary is $15,000 less than those of other superintendents at comparable districts. "It's at the bottom of the Big Nine, but that's what we can afford right now," Nordby said.

The board also approved the prices for milk, breakfast and lunch, which will be the same rate as last year. Milk will be 35 cents, a reduced-cost breakfast will be 30 cents, an elementary school breakfast will be $1, a middle school breakfast and a high school breakfast will cost $1.10.

A reduced-cost lunch will be 40 cents, the elementary schools and the middle school lunches will cost $1.60, the cost of a high school lunch will be $1.80 and an adult lunch will cost $2.50.

"Our lunch and breakfast prices are the same as Mankato. They're more toward the upper end than other Big Nine schools … so we feel these are adequate prices," said Volz. The average cost of a meal throughout the state is $2.14.

In addition to setting meal prices, the board awarded a contract for bakery products to The Earthgrains Co. of Roseville and a contract for milk and dairy products to Marigold Foods of Rochester.

The board also approved a transportation contract for city, rural and between-school routes for regular students, special education students and wheelchair students with Austin Transportation.

The contracts of new Sumner Elementary principal Kimberly Howard and new Southgate Elementary principal Daniel Posthumus were approved along with the contract of Bradley Bergstrom as assistant principal of Austin High School.

Amanda L. Rohde can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at :mailto:amanda.rohde@austindailyherald.com