Cry foul: Ozark school teacher pay is now withheld!

OZARK, MO — A former Ozark instructor’s final teacher pay is being withheld.

Major Danny Cazier, nationally acclaimed JROTC instructor, was booted from his duties last year without a hearing. He was lied about and denied his final pay by Ozark R-VI School administrators, who wanted to strip him of his rank and put him on latrine duty forever.

Obscure movie reference

THE FOLLOWING IS HIS DETAILED TELLING OF WHAT HAPPENED

Final Pay Withheld
JROTC instructor pay is set by the Army. Or rather, the minimum amount any school district must pay
each JROTC instructor is prescribed by the Army.

This is a function of the pay the instructor would have received if he/she were still on active duty.

Since the Army establishes new pay rates for active-duty troops every January, the Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) schools must pay their JROTC instructors is also recalculated each January. This January-December pay schedule that the Army follows conflicts with the July-June calendar that schools use for their teaching contracts.

This means that while a school district contracts its JROTC instructors at a certain annual amount each July, the district’s actual pay obligation to the instructor is superseded each January by the Army’s updated annual pay scale. Schools traditionally handle this by continuing to pay at the contract rate until the end of the teaching contract (June) and then supplementing the June paycheck with the additional amount owed each instructor for January-June, based on the new MIP rate for that instructor.
Ozark School District has always honored this practice, every year for every instructor, without
confusion or complaint.

Nevertheless, they declined to do so for me my final year. Their explanation of why is both evidence of and a good illustration of the hostile posture they have adopted toward me.

CCT NOTE: Don’t you think “Hostile Posture” would make a killer name for a rock band?

“Tonight at 8 …Hostile Posture, Live in Concert!!!”
The lead vocalist/guitarist is a bald-headed shorter man wearing giant wig to cover his baldness. A lanyard adorns his neck. He grabs the microphone and barks orders into it as the other players take the stage amid the haze and laser lights.

The bass player’s lanyard says Carson. He is the only dude who looks like a true rocker with his curly locks.

The rhythm guitarist bears a lanyard with the name Chesick.

Chambers is on drums. Another baldy, but a true baddy as he thrashes the marching beat handed him by lead vocalist Bauman.

Hostile Posture band

The front row are the groupies, the VIP backstage passers. Among them, Sarah, Patty, Aaron, Shane, Jeff and Tom, clapping and cheering.

Behind them, the public. Most are confused, unsure what this is all about. The rest read on and discover things they aren’t proud of.

CAMERA CUTS FROM LIVE CONCERT FOOTAGE BACK TO MAJ. DANNY:

Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) is determined by subtracting the instructor’s retired pay from the amount
he/she would have been earning if still on active duty at that same location.

The difference is what the school must pay the instructor. If a school district pays above MIP, then they may have no obligation to adjust pay for the second half of the contract period, once new pay scales are implemented across the Army.

(Or rather, if they pay enough above MIP, then they won’t need to adjust for the higher pay scale
the Army implements in the middle of the teaching year, because they would have already satisfied that
new minimum pay level.) Ozark School District contracts their JROTC instructors exactly at MIP.

School pretends stipend is final teacher pay

However, on top of that, they also pay JROTC instructors a coaching stipend for the many hours each
spends coaching one of the JROTC special teams. This coaching stipend became their justification for
not paying me the MIP adjustment they are required to pay and have paid to every instructor every year
before.

My teaching contract with the Ozark School District for 2021-2022 was for $66,866 (based on a monthly
MIP of $5572). On top of that, my 2021-2022 Supplemental Extra Duty Agreement (i.e., coaching
stipend) was for $5320. So Ozark’s monthly contractual obligation to me was $5572 for teaching and
$443 for coaching. In January of 2022, MIP rose to $5787, a difference of $215 per month. Under
standard conditions, this would have had Ozark School District paying me an additional $1290 at the end
of the school year to fulfill their contractual obligation with the Army that all instructors be paid MIP.

NOTE: The Army reimburses the school District ½ of MIP for each JROTC instructor.

When I reached out to the school at the end of the contract year concerning this end-of-contract pay
top-up, they offered a series of excuses before finally settling on the argument that since their TOTAL
pay to me (teaching contract plus coaching stipend) exceeds what the Army requires for MIP, they are
not required to pay the increase.

If their beginning-of-the-school-year teaching contract had established my teaching salary at a rate that exceeded the new MIP rate that went into effect in January, then they would be correct. No top-up would be required.

But they didn’t do that.

They contracted me at exactly MIP. The coaching stipend was an additional agreement on top of teaching pay. They had an explicit contract with me to pay $5572 per month for teaching and $443 per month for coaching.

They had an explicit agreement with the Army to pay at least $5572 per month for July-December and $5787 per month for January-June. The only way they can claim they fulfilled their agreement with the Army is by violating their 2021-2022 Supplementary Extra Duty Agreement (coaching stipend) with me.

They can either say they honored their agreement to pay me MIP or their agreement to pay me my coaching stipend.

It’s either thisaway or thataway with teacher pay

There is no way for them to claim they honored both. They attempt to evade responsibility for
this on the grounds that the Army doesn’t require a coaching stipend. Nevertheless, they contracted
with me for that coaching stipend and they contracted with the Army to pay full MIP to every instructor.
They have defaulted on one or the other.
Again, they have never before taken this approach with any other JROTC instructor. And they didn’t
take that approach this year with my colleagues. This was nothing more than a spiteful move . . . and a
breach of contract.
Here follow the email exchanges between me and the school over this issue.

Official e-mail exchanges in their own words!!

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 5:46 PM
To: ‘Stephanie Mayes’ <stephaniemayes@ozarktigers.org>

Cc: ‘Jeremy Brownfield’ <jeremybrownfield@ozarktigers.org>; ‘Gerald Chambers’
<geraldchambers@ozarktigers.org>; tammyshort@ozarktigers.org
Subject: RE: Final Check and Laptop Fee
Ms. Mayes,
JROTC instructors do not receive school-issued laptops as the Army provides laptops to us. The only
school computer I had was the desktop that has been in the classroom ever since before my arrival. I
turned over my Army-issued laptop to Chief Allen two weeks ago.
Can you confirm that the June paycheck will also include the JROTC “minimum instructor pay” top-up
from January-June of this year? Our pay changes each January but is not then caught-up until the June paycheck. Let me know if you need further explanation of this.
Thank you,
MAJ Danny Cazier

From: Tammy Short <tammyshort@ozarktigers.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 5:58 PM
To: Danny Cazier
Cc: Gerald Chambers <geraldchambers@ozarktigers.org>; Jeremy Brownfield
<jeremybrownfield@ozarktigers.org>; Stephanie Mayes <stephaniemayes@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: Re: [External email] RE: Final Check and Laptop Fee
Mr. Cazier,
There is not an adjustment this year for you, as the army did not reimburse for you this spring.

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 7:07 PM
To: ‘Tammy Short’ <tammyshort@ozarktigers.org>
Cc: ‘Gerald Chambers’ <geraldchambers@ozarktigers.org>; ‘Jeremy Brownfield’
<jeremybrownfield@ozarktigers.org>; ‘Stephanie Mayes’ <stephaniemayes@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: RE: [External email] RE: Final Check and Laptop Fee
Ms. Short, et al,
The Army did not reimburse because the District chose not to put me in the classroom. That does not
negate the District’s contract with the Army, the Army’s contract with me, or the District’s contract with
me, all of which require that the District pay the minimum instructor pay.
Please let me know your plan concerning this.
Thank you,

MAJ Danny Cazier

From: Tammy Short <tammyshort@ozarktigers.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 7:11 PM
To: Danny Cazier
Cc: Gerald Chambers <geraldchambers@ozarktigers.org>; Jeremy Brownfield
<jeremybrownfield@ozarktigers.org>; Stephanie Mayes <stephaniemayes@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: Re: [External email] RE: [External email] RE: Final Check and Laptop Fee
I have no way of knowing what to pay you because the statement the army sent didn’t have you on it.
We pay what they instruct us to pay and since you weren’t on it, I have no way to know what that
amount is if anything. If you have different documentation that I do, then I am happy to look at it. But at
this point, I do not have any paperwork that has your pay information.

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 7:12 PM
To: ‘Tammy Short’ <tammyshort@ozarktigers.org>
Cc: ‘Gerald Chambers’ <geraldchambers@ozarktigers.org>; ‘Jeremy Brownfield’
<jeremybrownfield@ozarktigers.org>; ‘Stephanie Mayes’ <stephaniemayes@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: RE: [External email] RE: [External email] RE: Final Check and Laptop Fee
Thank you. I will ask a representative from my brigade to provide this information ASAP.
Appreciatively,
MAJ Danny Cazier

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 7:29 PM
To: ‘Tammy Short’ <tammyshort@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: RE: [External email] RE: [External email] RE: Final Check and Laptop Fee
Ms. Short,
This website contains a calculator for computing minimum instructor pay:
https://www.usarmyjrotc.com/employment/minimum_instructor_pay.php. You have to look up the
relevant figure (by clicking on the calculator link beside each entry) for each of the lines in the
calculator. For me, the relevant figures are:
 Base pay: $8805.30 (based on O-4 with over 24 years service)
 BAH: $1869 (based on O-4 and zip code 65721)
 BAS: $280.29 (for officers)
 Clothing: NA
 COLA: NA
 OHA: NA

 Gross retirement pay: $5167 (please see the attached “Retiree Account Statement” for
confirmation)
This leaves my 2022 MIP as $5788 for January-June. I have been receiving $5573.88. That leaves a
monthly difference of $214. Over the course of six months, this adds up to $1284 owed.
Again, I will ask a representative from my JROTC brigade to confirm the numbers for you.
Thank you,
MAJ Danny Cazier

From: Tammy Short <tammyshort@ozarktigers.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 7:47 PM
To: Danny Cazier
Subject: Re: [External email] RE: [External email] RE: [External email] RE: Final Check and Laptop Fee
Thank you for the information. I will check with our attorney to see if this is enough information to pay
you or if I need something formal from them. I will let you know when I hear from her.

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2022 7:08 PM
To: ‘Tammy Short’ <tammyshort@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: RE: [External email] RE: [External email] RE: [External email] RE: Final Check and Laptop Fee
Have you heard back from the school attorney yet on this?
Thank you,
MAJ Danny Cazier

From: Tammy Short <tammyshort@ozarktigers.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2022 8:45 PM
To: Danny Cazier
Subject: Re: [External email] RE: [External email] RE: [External email] RE: [External email] RE: Final Check
and Laptop Fee
Yes, I have. Unless you can provide something official from the military, stating that we are obligated to
pay you an additional amount and what that amount is, the school district has paid you contractually.

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2022 6:41 AM
To: ‘Tammy Short’ <tammyshort@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up

Ms. Short,
I will work on getting something to you from US Army Cadet Command’s Instructor Management
division that reiterates the requirement and specifies the amount. My senior brigade representative is
on vacation right now, so this might be just a little slow.
In the meantime, can you help me understand why the District is requiring an official reminder of
something they clearly already understand? I offer the following as evidence:

The District is aware of its contractual requirement to pay all instructors the Minimum Instructor
Pay (MIP) established by JROTC, which is based on each instructor’s retired rank, years of
service, school location, etc.
The District is aware that MIP changes each January when a new pay scale goes into effect for
the military.
The District is aware that although teaching contracts run July-June each academic year, MIP for
JROTC instructors is re-established every January when new pay scales go into effect for the
Army.
The District is aware that MIP supersedes the annual teaching contract, thus necessitating a
mid-contract adjustment in JROTC instructor pay.
The District has a standing practice of paying in June of each year (at the end of the teacher’s
annual contract) the difference between that academic year’s teaching contract salary and what
the new MIP computation requires for last six months of that teaching contract.
The District has honored that practice even this year with the other two JROTC instructors.
The District did not receive an updated MIP calculation for me this calendar year due to the
District’s own choices regarding my teaching position.
The District is aware that their own choices regarding instructor management do not change
their contract with the Army to pay full MIP to each employed JROTC instructor.
The District is aware of the MIP calculator on the official Army JROTC website
(https://www.usarmyjrotc.com/employment/minimum_instructor_pay.php) and is in
possession of all necessary documents (e.g., my Army retired pay statement) to verify this year’s
change in MIP.
The District is requiring me to prove its obligation to pay MIP for my position this year before it
will honor that obligation, despite the fact that it has long acknowledged this requirement and
already honored it for the other two JROTC instructors this year.
To be clear, I can’t understand how there is any question as to whether the District owes a MIP increase
for January-June of this year. Neither can I understand how the District thinks MIP might be mis-
computed if they do it on their own from the calculator the Army provides on its official JROTC website.
I also presume that you are not making this decision alone but are being directed to this course of action
by another District administrator.
I would appreciate any light you can shed on any of the above.
Thank you,
MAJ Danny Cazier

From: Tammy Short <tammyshort@ozarktigers.org>
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2022 6:54 AM
To: Danny Cazier
Subject: Re: [External email] Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
Mr. Cazier,
As I mentioned before, the military quit paying MIP for you. I quit receiving a statement for you.
Therefore, there is no way for me to know what to pay if anything. I have mentioned multiple times that
if you can send me something official from the military stating that we owe you more than what we
have already paid you and what that amount is, I am happy to look at it with our attorney. If the military
states that we owe you additional funds, you shouldn’t have any problem getting that. Until then, we
have met our obligation to you.
Tammy Short
Chief Financial Officer/Board Treasurer
Ozark R-VI School District
417-582-5965

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2022 7:01 AM
To: ‘Tammy Short’ <tammyshort@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: RE: [External email] Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
Ms. Short,
I understand. And I am working on it.
What I do not understand is why the District is questioning whether such an obligation to pay me full
MIP really even exists. I fully understand that the District has not received a pay statement for me from
the Army for the past few months, as a result of the District’s own choices. That is why I provided
complete information on how to compute MIP.
Again, I will work on getting someone from the Army to send you something official, reminding the
District of an obligation it has long known and accepted. As schools don’t typically require their
instructors to re-prove pay obligations this way, it may take a little while to figure out whom to talk to
for this unusual request.
Thank you,
MAJ Danny Cazier

They knew all along but refused to deal with it

During the month of July, I was not employed by JROTC any longer. Cadet Command consequently
declined to produce a MIP statement for me. When I was re-employed at a new school in August, they
again declined to produce a new MIP statement for a school I no longer taught at. They also noted that
their last statement to the school (January of February) had included my new MIP and so that the school
had everything they needed to know what to pay me.

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2022 11:39 AM
To: ‘loriwilson@ozarktigers.org’ <loriwilson@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
Dr. Wilson,
I was working an issue with Tammy Short prior to her resignation which I presume now befalls you. If
not, would you please direct this to the appropriate party and let me know. I’ll summarize the issue
briefly and then provide the background context to better understand it.
SUMMARY: I have not received my end of year Minimum-Instructor-Pay “top-up” that JROTC instructors
receive each year. I resigned from teaching at Ozark this year and the circumstances surrounding it have complicated the District’s paying this.

Minimum pay must be paid…it’s the law!

DETAILS:

The Army dictates the minimum salary (Minimum Instructor Pay or “MIP”) that must be paid to
each Army JROTC instructor. Since MIP renews each January but teaching contracts renew each
summer, Ozark has always paid in June the additional amount owed each instructor (beyond the
last contract amount) due to MIP’s having gone up six months prior.
The Army reimburses (“cost shares”) the District for half of each JROTC instructor’s salary.
I was suspended from teaching on 7 December. The Army stopped cost sharing 30 days later.
That is their standard policy when a District pulls a JROTC instructor from teaching duties. The
District then paid my salary the subsequent six months without any reimbursement from the
Army.
As the Army stopped cost sharing my position, the District’s reimbursement statement they
received from the Army for JROTC instruct cost sharing – a statement that also states what the
current MIP is – quit including me at about the same time MIP was renewed (at a higher level).
Consequently, I did not receive the end-of-year “off-set” or “catch-up” that is due.
When I raised this issue with Tammy Taylor, she reported that she had not received an updated MIP
statement from the Army and therefore didn’t know what to pay me. I provided her the information to
calculate the MIP herself, but she stated she need an official calculation from the Army.
I finally today talked with our JROTC pay technician and she assured me that the January pay statement the school received did, in fact, show my new MIP. It also included the Army’s having reimbursed half of my MIP for that pay period. Since the cost sharing was supposed to have stopped on 7 January, the February statement the Army sent to the District reflected that the Army was recouping the extra reimbursement they had sent in January on my behalf (i.e., for the time period of 8-31 January).
She assures me that the District does have the paperwork it needs in order to satisfy this pay
requirement. For your reference, I am providing here copies of my Army JROTC pay statement for
November 2021 and January 2022. The former statement shows what my old MIP was, the MIP this
past year’s contract was based on ($5573.88). The latter statement shows the new MIP which I was
entitled to for January-June of this past year ($5787.59). The amount yet due me, then, is $1282.26
($213.71 per month x 6 months).

If you need further verification, please contact Ms. Petina Duncan (patina.r.duncan.civ@army.mil, 502-
624-2471), the lead military pay technician for U.S. Army Cadet Command. In fact, she will need
someone to reach out to her anyway to update her as to whom she should now send monthly pay
statements to for the Army’s cost sharing of its JROTC instructors.
Please let me know how and when I can expect resolution of this.
Appreciatively,
Danny Cazier
(John Daniel Cazier)

From: Lori Wilson <loriwilson@ozarktigers.org>
Sent: Friday, July 15, 2022 1:18 PM
To: Danny Cazier
Subject: Re: [External email] RE: Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
Good Afternoon:
Thank you for the information below. I will look into it and get back to you. Lori

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2022 11:41 AM
To: ‘Lori Wilson’ <loriwilson@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: RE: [External email] RE: Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
Dr. Wilson,
Has there been any progress on this yet?
Thank you,
Danny Cazier

From: Lori Wilson <loriwilson@ozarktigers.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2022 11:45 AM
To: Danny Cazier
Subject: Re: [External email] RE: [External email] RE: Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
Not yet.
Lori

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2022 3:55 PM

To: ‘Lori Wilson’ <loriwilson@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: RE: [External email] RE: [External email] RE: Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
Dr. Wilson,
Can you give me an update on where this action stands at present?
Thank you,
Danny Cazier

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Thursday, August 4, 2022 9:36 AM
To: ‘Lori Wilson’ <loriwilson@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: RE: Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
Dr. Wilson,
Can you give me a status on this? It has now been three weeks since I first inquired.
Thanks,
Danny Cazier

From: Lori Wilson <loriwilson@ozarktigers.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 4, 2022 10:33 AM
To: Danny Cazier
Subject: Re: [External email] RE: Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
I should be able to give you an answer next week. I am out of the office this week and still trying to pull
things together not only for this issue but learning in general.
Lori

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Thursday, August 4, 2022 4:47 PM
To: ‘Lori Wilson’ <loriwilson@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: RE: [External email] RE: Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
Thank you for your attention to this.
Danny Cazier

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2022 5:35 PM

To: ‘Lori Wilson’ <loriwilson@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: RE: [External email] RE: Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
Dr. Wilson,
Do you have any update for me yet on my neglected final pay from Ozark School District?
Thank you,
Danny Cazier

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2022 6:45 AM
To: ‘Lori Wilson’ <loriwilson@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: RE: [External email] RE: Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
Dr. Wilson,
It has been two months now since I was shorted my final pay for JROTC. I would like to know whether
there is a genuine hold-up or whether the District is declining to pay. If the latter, I would appreciate an
explanation. Can you help me understand the District’s plan regarding this?
I realize that this occurred before your arrival to the District, but I presume you are still the right person
for me to turn to for resolution or information.
Thank you,
Danny Cazier

From: Lori Wilson <loriwilson@ozarktigers.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2022 12:01 PM
To: Danny Cazier
Cc: Lori Wilson <loriwilson@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: Re: [External email] RE: [External email] RE: Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
Mr. Cazier:
First, thank you for your patience. After reading the U.S. Code: Title 10, speaking with Ms. Petina
Duncan and the fact that the portion of your salary that is normally reimbursed by the Army was not, it
has been decided that Ozark will not pay the “top-up” portion of the Minimum Instructor Pay.

I wish you well in your future endeavors.

Lori D. Wilson

From: Danny Cazier
Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2022 9:53 AM
To: ‘Lori Wilson’ <loriwilson@ozarktigers.org>
Subject: RE: Minimum Instructor Pay (MIP) catch-up
Dr. Wilson,
Thank you for your attention to this matter, as well as for your explanation of the District’s reason for
refusing to pay.

My criticism of that response is not targeted at you, as my conflict with senior District
administrators pre-dates your recent return to the District. Nevertheless, I am not done pursuing this
matter and so it seems appropriate to point out to you why and how the response you provided falls
short.
As my initial email to you already contains an explanatory account of the District’s owing me this money
and their not having paid it as scheduled, perhaps the only remaining detail to point out now is that the
justification you cited – that “the portion of [my] salary that is normally reimbursed by the Army was
not” – is irrelevant to the question of whether the money is owed me.

In fact, if that was grounds for withholding my pay, then I would have been paid nothing since 7 January, since that is the date on which the Army suspended its cost-sharing arrangement with the school over my instructor position.
The response you provided mimics that provided by Tammy Short before her departure.

As I pushed back against the inadequacy of her explanation, she conceded that more was still owed but argued that she needed an official “Minimum Instructor Pay” (MIP) computation from the Army before she could pay it to me.

She departed before I could provide that to her.

I subsequently learned, as I explained to you in my initial email to you on 14 July, that this information really was in the District’s possession.

It was included on the February pay statement the Army provided to the District. I then also provided
evidence of that computation with my 14 July email to you.
I recently spoke with Petina Duncan, the JROTC pay technician, as you also indicated you did. I’m going
to clarify her position her in case you gained a different understanding of it. As long as a school district
pays its JROTC instructors at least the “Minimum Instructor Pay” (MIP) the Army has no further pay-
based grievance with the school.

For the Army’s part, they evidently don’t care whether that minimum pay is contract salary or a combination of contract salary and stipend pay. Since I was receiving both
teaching pay and coaching stipend, the total amount I received from Ozark School District exceeds the
pay the Army requires I be paid. That is not the same as saying that my contract was properly fulfilled
by the Army. For those instructors (at other schools) who negotiate with their schools for a higher
salary than MIP, if the school defaults on their contract, the Army only cares if that default drops below
MIP. But the school still defaulted on its contract obligation to that teacher. The fact that the Army
doesn’t care to get involved is irrelevant.
That is essentially the case with my pay. My contract pay is for MIP.

MIP gets re-adjusted in January of each year, requiring that the school district adjust the teaching salary mid-year. The District’s (and many other districts’ as well) tradition is simply to catch that up at the end of the contract period.

Ozark School District has done this for years.

They have done it with my colleagues this year.

Tammy Short ultimately acknowledged the obligation to do so with me even this year but protested that she didn’t have an official computation to work from. The only grounds Ozark School District has for claiming it has satisfied its obligation to pay me in full is by talking independently about teaching pay and coaching stipend.

Because I am paid a coaching stipend, the District is, in effect, claiming that it can short my teaching contract by any amount up to the amount of the coaching stipend. (Shorting my teaching pay
any more than this would drop my compensation below MIP.)

But if the District is relying on that to bolster its claim that they have paid me adequately for my teaching contract, then it has to now acknowledge that it has shorted me an equivalent amount in my coaching contract. If the District wants to claim it has fulfilled my coaching stipend, then it has to acknowledge that it has shorted my teaching pay.
Again, I don’t presume this refusal reflects on you, as you just recently returned to the District.

This is instead a reflection of the attitude the District has recently chosen to adopt toward me. Your new (or renewed) colleagues are mostly decent men, but egos can be fragile and when one’s ego is pricked,
one’s judgment can be distorted and one’s behavior can degrade.

If there is any question in your mind about whether I am still owed further compensation than what I received already, I hope this email has cleared that up. If not, I can attempt to clarify further. If you maintain your position that I have been paid adequately, then you become confederate in your colleagues’ dishonesty toward me. I invite you to do better than they have chosen to do.

Best regards,

Danny Cazier

How long will district patrons put up with this?

We aren’t holding our breath for the Ozark School District to pay Maj. Danny his final pay. HIs grievances have long been articulated and openly rejected and lied about by administration. The bigger question is: How long will voters and taxpayers dumping millions into this district put up with corruption?

162410cookie-checkCry foul: Ozark school teacher pay is now withheld!