Superintendent, other Minooka 201 administrators receive 4% pay bump

A number of top-level staffers within Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201 are receiving 4% pay increases in the upcoming 2025-26 school year, following a recent vote from the board of education.

At its meeting Monday, June 16, the Minooka 201 board approved an amendment to Superintendent Rachel Kinder’s existing three-year contract.

According to documents included in the board packet, Kinder will receive an annual salary of $213,200 in the next fiscal year, which officially begins July 1, accounting for a 4% pay increase. An accompanying memo states, “No other terms or language are modified through this amendment.”

Kinder is in the midst of a 3-year contract for Minooka 201’s top leadership position, which began July 1, 2024, and runs through June 30, 2027.

Following the full board’s approval of the contract amendment, Board President Emily Conquest praised Kinder for her leadership since joining Minooka 201 a year ago.

“I know I speak for the board when I say we are very grateful and very thankful to have your leadership in our district and look forward to working with you throughout the coming years,” Conquest said to Kinder.

In a separate vote, the board also issued contract extensions and salary increases to Tiffany Staab, assistant superintendent of student services, and Mary Robinson, chief school business official. Staab and Robinson each had contracts that sunset June 30, 2026; with the amendment, they have been extended to June 30, 2027.

Staab’s contract extension includes a provision for $154,669 in annual compensation in the 2025-26 school year and $160,856 in annual compensation in the 2026-27 school year.

Robinson’s contract extension calls for $153,019 in annual compensation in the 2025-26 school year and $159,140 in annual compensation in the 2026-27 school year.

In other business, the Minooka 201 board of education on June 16:

-Approved several dozen new hires as Minooka 201 administrators and human resources staffers work to fill many vacant positions during the summer hiatus.

Kinder highlighted several appointments, following board approval, including the addition of Megan Cracraft, a veteran educator with 18 years of experience. She is filling the new position of assistant director of student services with a $110,000 annual salary for a 225-day calendar.

William Lipke is also joining Minooka 201 in the upcoming fiscal year as the school safety coordinator. Lipke is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and has a background in law enforcement. He will receive $65,000 in annual compensation in the upcoming school year.

-Heard a preliminary report from Mary Robinson, the chief school business official, on Minooka 201’s proposed 2025-26 school year budget.

Based on preliminary data, which continues to trickle in, Robinson indicated Minooka 201 is entering the upcoming fiscal year with a surplus in its operating budget of $315,018, and the district’s overall surplus is pegged at $1.08 million.

All told, she indicated the amount of reserve cash set aside in Minooka 201’s fund balance falls within the permissible parameters to meet the board’s policy of 25% of the total budget.

Robinson indicated she will present a full draft 2025-26 school year budget at the next board meeting in July. Illinois law requires school districts have adopted budgets in place by the end of September.

“We have a lot of time,” Robinson said to the board. “A lot can happen between now and then, but I just wanted to give you a really early look, just so you an idea of what we’re planning.”