Sheboygan Area School District board approves 2.95% pay increase for administrative and support staff

The Sheboygan Area School District Board of Education approved a 2.95% pay increase for administrative and support staff, effective July 1, 2025, the board voted by voice during its June meeting.

The raise was presented by Dr. Conrad, who said the increase “puts Mark's department in a place where they're not having to do retroactive pay.” Dr. Conrad also warned the board of possible state funding shortfalls related to special education, saying, “I think there's about a million dollar hole if we don't get any additional funding to education.”

Board members moved and approved the recommendation during the meeting; the action was taken by voice vote with the chair calling for “All in favor, say aye,” and the motion carried.

Administrators told the board the 2.95% figure aligns with the district's payroll timing: because the July payroll falls early in the month this year, passing the increase now avoids retroactive payroll adjustments. Mark, a district staff member overseeing finances during the presentation, confirmed the earlier timing was the reason for the June action.

Speakers at the meeting discussed broader budget context, including the district's special education funding shortfall and recent state-level negotiations that officials said shifted away from broad special-ed reimbursement to more targeted funding for high-need students. Dr. Conrad summarized the state position as stalled on broader reimbursement, noting the state would consider funding “high needs students, meaning students that cost more than 30,000.” The district's staff said only about 12 students meet that very-high-cost threshold, while the district's total special education cost is roughly $14,000,000.

The board did not adopt additional budget cuts or new program changes as part of this vote; the action approved only the salary increase and the inclusion of that cost in the draft 2025–26 preliminary budget previously presented. Any future adjustments to cover larger funding gaps would be brought back to the board by administration.

The vote was recorded by voice; no roll-call tally of individual members was provided in the meeting minutes.

The board approved the pay increase to take effect July 1, 2025; administrators said they would monitor state funding developments and return with budget adjustments if necessary.