The Coupeville School Board extended the contract of Superintendent Jim Shank Monday night and approved an increase in salary to compensate him for the additional responsibilities he’s tackling this upcoming school year.

Shank’s new superintendent’s salary is $124,630, which reflects a 3 percent cost-of-living increase the Legislature approved for all K-12 employees in the state’s 2015-17 operating budget.

By rolling over his contract another year, Shank maintains a three-year agreement with the school district.

In addition, the Coupeville School Board approved two supplemental contracts for Shank, who is taking on the role of high school principal this year while also continuing his role as the school district’s special services director.

Shank will be paid $30,000 for his duties as principal and an additional $25,000 for overseeing the district’s special education program.

Declining enrollment in Coupeville led to the reduction of 4.5 staff positions this school year, including the job of high school and middle school principal Larry Walsh, who was with the school district for only one year.

Shank offered to absorb more administrative responsibility rather than consider further reductions of teachers.

“We feel our first obligation is to our students in the classroom,” said Kathleen Anderson, longtime school board member. “So we did not want to reduce staff. So he (Shank) volunteered to take on the role of high school principal. He has done this in a previous district. We are just grateful of his willingness to put in that much effort and time.”

Also Monday night, the school board approved the school district’s $14,112,112 budget for 2015-16.

Adoption included a general fund budget of $10,484,447, which supports salaries, benefits, curriculum, student activities, trainings and other operational costs such as utilities, Shank said.

Also included in the adoption was the  the capital projects funds budget of $1,213,000, the Associated Student Body budget of $279,665, the Debt Service Budget of $2,000,000 and the Transportation Vehicle Fund of $135,000 for the purchase of a new school bus.

With the Legislature taking until the end of June to approve a state budget, Coupeville school district business manager Denise Mehal was under a tight time crunch to draft Coupeville’s budget.

Normally, the state approves a budget in May, Mehal said.

“The later the Legislature lets out, the harder it is for our business office and for the board and myself to prepare a budget as well as adopt one,” Shank said. “And here it is the 27th of July and we just finished and for a small system that’s pretty significant to throw that together in such a short period of time.

“We’ve got a great business manager so she’s able to get in and finish it. Any time there is a time crunch, the stress and the pressure behind creating that just puts people in tough situations. But we’re pleased with the work. We think the budget’s a fine budget and of course we’re not unhappy with the increases that we did receive from the Legislature. We want to go on record as saying that too. We’re fortunate that we’re able to get some increases.”