MARTINEZ — The principal of Alhambra High School has asked the school board to reinstate stipends for teachers who do extra duty leading their departments.

Principal Sue Mirkovich said the department chairs are integral in helping her manage the school's 65 teachers and 1,300 students. Department chairs control budgets, order textbooks and classroom supplies, hold department meetings and mentor new teachers, among other duties.

"I depend very, very heavily on them for their guidance and their leadership," Mirkovich told the school board members at a meeting earlier this week.

The school board canceled the stipends for the current school year to help cut $2.1 million from the district's budget. Other cost-saving measures at the high school included eliminating class-size reduction in ninth-grade English and math classes and sharing a librarian with Martinez Junior High.

The amount of the stipend is determined by the number of classes in each department. The payments range from $1,727 to $3,311 per school year. Two teachers can split the department chair duties and the stipend.

Reinstating stipends for the nine positions responsible for the English, foreign language, social studies/business, special education, industrial arts, physical education, science and fine arts departments would add $22,000 back into this year's budget, according to Liz Robbins, chief business officer for the Martinez district.

Mirkovich

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said she and the two assistant principals will have to take over department chairs' duties if the board does not agree to pay the stipends. Those added duties, Mirkovich said, would be a strain.

School board member John Fuller said he is disappointed that teachers seem unwilling to sacrifice and do extra work without additional compensation, while administrators routinely do so.

Ron Skrehot and Kathi McLaughlin argued that teachers should be paid for doing extra work.

"I have a really hard time asking people to take on more responsibility and not paying them for it," Skrehot said.

To guide them as they consider her request, the board members asked Mirkovich for the number of teachers and classes in each department and the frequency of department meetings. They will discuss the matter at their Oct. 12 meeting.

Like other school districts in Contra Costa County, Martinez suffered a blow this year when the Legislature slashed education funding to dig the state out of a deep budget hole. In April, the school board approved a package of cuts to close the budget gap, including an unpopular increase from 20 to 30 students in kindergarten through third-grade classes. Eventually, the Martinez City Council agreed to lend the district $500,000 to maintain small class sizes.

Lisa P. White covers Pleasant Hill and Martinez. Reach her at 925-943-8011.