VIDALIA — Uncertified teachers in Concordia Parish currently are eligible for some reimbursement from the Concordia Parish School Board for gaining certification but that reimbursement could soon come with stipulations.

Concordia Parish School Board members voted unanimously Tuesday during a special-called meeting to draft a letter seeking guidance from the board’s attorneys, Hammonds, Sills, Adkins & Guice of Baton Rouge, on how to recoup any funds spent on helping uncertified teachers gain certification and to see if the board can require trainees to enter into a contract.

Currently, however, there is not much the school board can do if a teacher using the district’s resources to become certified and leaves their job soon after, said Whest Shirley, Concordia Parish Schools Superintendent.

Derrick D. Carson, district 4A school board member, made the motion during Tuesday’s meeting to authorize Shirley to draft the letter, “to see if we have the authority to require those people to enter into a contract with the school board for a three-year contract, and if they leave within the three year commitment what remedies we have to recoup from those individuals those fees that we spent on getting that individual certified.”

Fred T. Butcher, 1A school board member, seconded the motion that passed unanimously with all board members present.

The vote came after a more than 90-minute executive session to discuss personnel matters.

Shirley said no particular incident had spurred the discussion.

Due to a shortage of teachers in the school district, however, Shirley said some 20 percent of the district’s teachers are uncertified.

“We have a growing number of uncertified teachers,” Shirley said, adding the reimbursements are helpful in recruiting, but the board wants to ensure they get a return on the investment and have retention of recruits the district helps train.

“The superintendent will get in touch with our board attorney,” Carson said, “to see what legal actions we can take toward helping people get certified and sign a contract with them and if they do not fulfill their part of the contract what legal rights we have to recoup the money that we have spent and invested in them.”

Also during Tuesday’s executive session, school board members discussed principals’ salaries, Carson said in making a motion to refer principals’ salaries to the board’s finance committee for consideration along with consideration of special compensation for one principal who works an extra half a day at an additional school.

The board unanimously passed the motion requesting the finance committee review principal salary ranges and make a recommendation to the board.

Shirley said board members are asking the finance committee to look at further separation of salary ranges for different levels of principals.

“We don’t have any particular salary in mind,” Shirley said. “A high school principal has more responsibility than an elementary teacher.”

Currently, an elementary school principal with nine to 25 years experience with a bachelor’s to master’s degree is paid between $56,000 and $61,000 per year.

A junior high school principal with 22 to 29 years experience and a master’s degree is paid between $65,000 and $68,000 per year.

And, a high school principal with 10 to 28 years experience and a master’s degree is paid between $61,000 and $70,000 per year.

Shirley said the finance committee would consider adding more of a salary range separation in those positions.