The board of education for the Warren County R-III School District amended its teacher contracts to address a previous concern with money spent to train teachers who left the district after a short period of time.The board approved the amendment at a special budget meeting June 22. The district currently pays for training for its teachers at Warrenton High School who instruct the Project Lead the Way classes, which offer advanced instruction and for college and career preparation. Due to the extensiveness of the training, costs can range from $5,000 to $7,000.R-III Assistant Superintendent Dr. Aaron Jones says the district has had some concerns related to teachers receiving the training, but then leaving to teach in another district in a short window of time. In turn, this is causing the district to have to pay to immediately train a new staff member.Some teachers had taken the training paid for by the school and gone on to other districts within a few years. Administrators were concerned at the cost of paying to educate new instructors on a regular basis with the frequent turnover rate.An amendment was established to address this by implementing a scale system by which teachers will have to pay back a pro-rated amount of their Project Lead the Way training fees if they leave the district before the allotted time listed in the contract.The contract spans over a four-year period, with teachers paying 100 percent back in leaving within the first year, 75 percent within two years, 50 percent through three years and 25 percent in a fourth year if they are to leave during that time frame.Dr. Jones said the contract amendments are to both protect the district and allow for transparency with the new employees so they understand the agreement into which they are entering.School News