Waunakee schools subcommittee advances multi-group pay package, recommends proposal 1 to full board

The Waunakee Community School District Human Resources Subcommittee voted to advance a multi-part pay package and recommended Proposal No. 1 to the full school board, a package that officials say will narrow the district's gap with peer districts and use part of a voter-approved $1 million referendum.

The proposal would raise administrative support and hourly wages and employ step adjustments for custodial, classified and administrative-assistant groups; administrators told the subcommittee the package would move those groups closer to peer-district averages. "That first box shows admin support, again, with a 2.95, increase across the board," Brian, a district staff member presenting the package, said while reviewing the draft numbers.

The action matters because the district's budget committee has scheduled the first draft of the 2025-26 budget to go to the full board the following Monday, and the pay decisions are timed to align with that draft. Administrators told the subcommittee the district is relying on a $1 million referendum approved by voters last November to help pay for higher wages for classified staff across a two-year cycle.

Subcommittee presenters reviewed three step-removal options, saying they favored a clear, explainable approach rather than a complex partial-step plan. Proposal No. 1, the committee's preferred option, would: remove one step for custodial/maintenance staff, remove two steps for classified staff, and remove two steps for administrative assistants. Presenters estimated the straight-wage cost of that combination at $566,065 based on current employees and vacancy-costed positions.

Presenters also offered peer-comparison figures: at the July 1 point used in their analysis the district was about $712,000 behind its Dane County peers; district staff said that gap likely increased as peers also moved wages but that the proposed actions would reduce the shortfall. Officials noted benefits and payroll taxes add roughly 15 percent to wage increases when calculating total package costs.

Separately, the package presented teacher-salary mechanics: a base-wage negotiation had been concluded earlier and was a separate board action; the subcommittee heard that supplemental pay proposals include $400 per year of experience and up to $750 for professional-development points, with additional double-jump moves for eligible teachers estimated at about $31,000. Administrators said payments for newly conferred advanced degrees usually total roughly $10,000 annually, but final counts depend on degree submissions by mid-June.

After discussion, a subcommittee member moved to advance the compensation details; the motion was seconded and approved. Later the committee voted to forward Proposal No. 1 to the full board; that motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.

Discussion vs. decision: presenters and board members debated which groups should receive the larger step removals this year versus spreading increases more evenly across two years. District administrators said they could "front" a portion of the second-year funding in year one to make the initial package clearer and more meaningful to employees, with the understanding the full two-year plan remains funded by the referendum and other budget assumptions. The committee emphasized communication strategy for employees, and noted ongoing uncertainty in the state budget that leaves some amounts estimated in the first-draft budget.

The subcommittee asked staff to bring the recommended package and the handbook updates (discussed separately) to the full board for action as part of the upcoming budget timeline.

Looking ahead: the full board will consider the recommended compensation package at its next meeting in conjunction with the district's first-draft budget.