Coffee County board weighs 3% raise, pay‑scale overhaul to reach $50,000 starting salary

At a Coffee County Board of Education work session, staff presented draft salary schedules and options to raise teacher pay, including a 3% across‑the‑board increase and a more complex rebuild of the certified salary schedule to make starting teacher pay $50,000.

The discussion centered on two paths: give a percentage raise for all employees (certified, classified and paraprofessionals) or reconfigure the certified pay scale so year‑0 and year‑1 steps start at $50,000. April Melson, who presented the draft schedules, cautioned that the documents were drafts and not final: “These are drafts. I wrote draft on them.”

Why it matters: board members said raising starting pay is important to recruit and retain teachers, and the district faces a budget timetable that requires a proposal to county budget officials in April and a final budget in May. Presenters and trustees repeatedly referenced state TISA funding that the district expects to help offset the cost.

Key figures and options discussed

- Cost per percentage point: Board members noted that a 1% increase across all employees would cost roughly $350,000 to the district (including benefits), so a 3% increase would multiply that amount.

- State TISA allocation: A staff presentation said the district’s share of the state TISA pool is approximately $536,000 (the presenter explained this is calculated from the statewide set‑aside and the county’s share of average daily membership).

- Time frame to meet the state guideline: Presenters said a 3% raise this year and another 3% next year would move many year‑zero teacher lines toward the $50,000 target by the 2026–27 requirement. Staff estimated that roughly 30 teachers were currently below the $50,000 threshold and would be affected by any change.

- Rebuilding the pay scale: Board members debated whether to rework the certified salary schedule so that year‑0 (and year‑1) steps begin at $50,000. Presenters warned that making year‑0 and year‑1 identical would temporarily remove the small step increase between those years (the normal annual “step” raise), which could leave new hires with no step raise until year‑2 unless the whole scale is restructured.

- Alternatives: Trustees discussed flat‑dollar raises for certain employee groups (to help close gaps between classified/paraprofessional and certified pay) and selectively applying different percentages to different pay scales (for example, giving a larger percentage or dollar amount to classified staff). Presenters said those options are administratively possible but would require separate pay scales or board approval to reassign employees.

Budget and timing constraints

- Staff said payroll comprises about 85% of the district’s budget and flagged statutory and local deadlines: the budget must be presented to county budget and finance in April and rolled into the county commission’s budget by May 1. If the board is not ready, staff said it would have to coordinate with the county about deadlines and potential extensions.

Next steps and direction

The board directed staff to (a) complete the payroll calculations to confirm whether a 3% proposal would fully use the expected TISA allocation, (b) prepare a budget presentation for the board work session and the May budget deadlines, and (c) continue the issue at the Salary & Compensation Committee and at the next work session to decide whether to pursue a 3% across‑the‑board increase, a higher percentage, or a restructured certified pay scale. No formal motion or vote was taken at the session.

Ending

Board members agreed to continue the conversation at the salary compensation committee and at upcoming budget meetings so staff can present the finalized calculations before the county deadline.