Trustees approved the district’s 2025–26 hiring and pay schedules after staff said the changes reflect new state law and local objectives to retain and recruit teachers.
Assistant superintendent for payroll and operations Serena Wood and Chief Financial Officer Pauline Reese outlined the payroll plan included in the packet. The administration recommended moving the starting teacher salary to $49,000 and applying statutory teacher-retention allotments created in House Bill 2: $2,500 for teachers with three to four years of experience and $5,000 for teachers with five or more years of experience. Reese said teachers will also receive step increases for years of experience as shown on the 2025–26 hiring schedule.
The board also approved a district-wide average raise of about 4% for other staff groups and directed that nurses, counselors and librarians be moved to pay grades that mirror the teacher-step schedule so those positions keep pace with salary changes that operate differently under the new law. The administration included optional schedules for a one-time lump-sum payment and updated substitute and extra-duty pay schedules in the board packet.
Why it matters: The pay changes implement state-mandated retention allotments and adjust local pay scales to compete for staff. For teachers, the combined effect of the starting-salary increase, step movement and state allotments changes the district’s compensation structure; for other employees the 4% average increase preserves pay competitiveness across job categories.
Board action: Trustees voted to approve the 2025–26 hiring schedule and pay schedules A–F as presented. The motion passed with no recorded dissent.