The Haines Borough school board on Monday narrowly rejected an amendment to the district’s union contract that would have allowed aides and others in non-teaching positions to change job titles without slipping on the pay scale if the new position had a “substantially similar scope of work” as their previous one.

Board opponents of the change expressed concern that it hadn’t been vetted by other classified employees, that it hadn’t been included in a recent negotiated settlement with classified employees and that it would open a “Pandora’s box” to increased pay requests from other employees.

“That might upset a few (classified employees). If you do for one, everyone’s going to want a different title,” said board member Sarah Swinton. “I don’t like that we keep opening new titles and new jobs. I’m afraid we’re opening a can of worms.”

She and member Brian Clay voted against the change.

Members Anne Marie Palmieri, Sara Chapell and Mike Wilson supported the change. Four votes are required for passage on the seven-member board. Members Tiffany DeWitt and Lisa Schwartz were absent.

The question has been raised in previous years, but for at least the past year has involved senior custodian Natasha Coleman. Coleman wants compensation for duties outside her job description, including training other custodians and ordering supplies.

Under the existing contract with classified employees, shifting Coleman (who is at step 12 on the janitor pay scale) to a “coordinator” position reflecting her expanded duties would amount to a raise of only 11 cents per hour.

That’s because moving between job titles requires starting at the lowest point on the new job’s pay scale, according to the negotiated agreement.

The issue was formerly raised by school librarian Leigh Horner, said board chair Palmieri. When Horner was promoted from library aide to operating the library as library coordinator, she received no credit for her three years in the library.

Her pay increase in taking the new job amounted to about 7 cents an hour, Horner said in an interview this week. “I was doing exactly the same thing, but they were adding duties to my job.”

Board members said the union representative has approved the change, but Swinton said she was concerned that the board hadn’t spoken with employees. “In the past we wanted to make (classified employees) feel equally important. I think (approving the change without consulting them) is wrong in that aspect as well.”

That the matter wasn’t included in recent contract negotiations seemed “slimy,” Swinton said. Board members at the meeting said that former superintendent Ginger Jewell had been working on the Coleman matter outside of negotiations.

Palmieri said the question will go to incoming superintendent Rich Carlson. “However Rich figures out he wants to handle it, he’ll have to work that out with the union and bring it back to the board… It’s a lingering issue. We’ll need to address it.”

Also at the meeting, the board agreed to send a letter to Global School Services, canceling a procurement contract with the company headed by David Thompson, husband of former school superintendent Jewell.

Thompson had offered to arrange discounted rates but those may have been based on Thompson traveling to Haines, said chair Palmieri. “He’d be coming here every so often, anyway; he could throw it in his truck and there wouldn’t be freight costs.”

The district hadn’t bought anything through the company, said district secretary Ashley Sage.

On a 5-0 vote Monday, the board also approved a 125-day contract for temporary interim superintendent Carlson of Juneau.

Carlson will be paid $425.50 per day during a term beginning Aug. 3 and ending Jan. 31, 2016. In lieu of district health insurance, the contract pays $500 toward salary for each month of work performed.

Board chair Palmieri reported at this week’s meeting that a six-month limit on the contract due to Carlson’s status as retired in the state’s benefits system isn’t rock solid.

Palmieri reported that she has been notified that the district may be able to extend Carlson’s contract to a full year if it demonstrates that it’s actively searching for a new superintendent.

Carlson’s first school board meeting is 7 p.m. Aug. 18 at the school library.