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Board signals support for a 65% threshold for high‑poverty principal supplement
Summary
Staff recommended revising the district’s high‑poverty principal supplement threshold from the older 75% benchmark to 65% based on updated calculation methods; multiple board members voiced support and staff said they will draft an administrative memo to implement the 65% threshold for non‑bargaining principals.
District staff recommended Sept. 9 that the board set the threshold for the high‑poverty principal supplement at 65% under the district’s updated eligibility calculation. The supplement is a $5,000 payment to principals of schools that meet the threshold for high poverty as measured by the district’s current method.
Doctor O'Dell (staff) explained the change results from using the updated methodology — which relies on counts of families receiving government‑provided supplemental services (for example SNAP, Medicaid eligibilities noted in the transcript) rather than only families who complete free/reduced lunch applications. Using the raw counts in the new method, staff said two schools would qualify at a 75% threshold but 19 schools would qualify at 65%.
“My suggestion would be at 65%. You see the schools in that, based on that fourth column, I think we get to 19 schools total,” Doctor O'Dell said. Board members including one who noted historical context supported the 65% threshold as a fair cutoff that better reflects current district poverty levels and avoids excluding schools that now meet need under the updated calculation.
Staff said the supplement applies to non‑bargaining principals and recommended implementing the change via an administrative memo rather than a bargaining action; the board asked staff to draft the memo and circulate it. Several board members stated their support for the 65% threshold during the work session.
Ending: Staff will draft the memo to document the 65% threshold and apply it to the 2024–25 eligibility calculation; the supplement remains $5,000 per eligible principal and will be administered as an administrative, non‑bargaining adjustment.
