VIDALIA — The Concordia Parish School Board approved a new compensation plan Thursday for staff in the administrative academy.

The additional pay is retroactive to the beginning of the fiscal year, July 1.

The parish has eight people involved in the administrative academy, a program which gives teachers interested in becoming administrators additional training, Director of Business Affairs Tom O’Neal said.

“It really makes a difference,” he said. “When they go through training, they get to participate in things principals would really do.”

The academy is split into three tiers — administrative trainee, administrative intern and administrative assistant. The tiers depend on the level of hours toward an administrative certification or progress toward a master’s degree the teacher has reached. The top tier, assistant, requires certification or a master’s degree.

Trainees increase from a $1,200 supplement to $1,800 per year. For interns, the rate increases from $1,500 to $2,400. Assistants increase from $2,400 to $3,000.

To enter the academy, O’Neal said employees have to go through an interview process and be selected.

The academy was restarted last year after a four-year hiatus due to lack of participation. Interim Superintendent Loretta Blankenstein said Thursday’s action related to clearing up the supplements, which were intended to be increased last year.

“A person with some type of experience typically performs better,” Blankenstein said. “We provide guidance to interested administrators, which enables them to become better administrators here in Concordia Parish.”

Teachers participating are required to have additional duties, including working five additional days and attendance is required at a larger percentage of meetings and activities. The teachers are also required to advance in attaining certification.

Personnel Coordinator Rhonda Moore said 10 applicants were approved last year, and now the program is down to eight. Moore said one participant left the district and another, Franklin Bernie Cooley, became the interim assistant principal at Vidalia High School.

Moore said all of the current participants are at the trainee level. Two are at Ferriday High School; two at Ferriday Junior High School; one at Ferriday Upper Elementary School; one at Concordia Parish Academy; one at Monterey High School; and one at Concordia Education Center.

Teachers receive the additional guidance from administrators at the school at which they are employed.