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Committee reviews teaching‑assistant salary schedule and considers $1–$2 hourly increases
Summary
Staff presented a cross‑district comparison and the district’s teaching‑assistant salary schedule, reported that the lowest Anderson 5 starting hourly rate is $14.14, and the committee discussed scenarios to raise the base by $0.50–$2.00 per hour and the budget and Title I funding implications of adding assistants.
The finance committee reviewed the district’s teaching‑assistant (TA) salary schedule, a cross‑district comparison and several “what‑if” scenarios for raising TA hourly pay. Staff said raising the TA base rate would be possible but asked trustees to indicate a target (for example $1.00, $1.50 or $2.00 added to the base) so staff can compute the budgetary cost.
Amy, presenting the comparison, summarized the district’s TA schedule and the cross‑district pilot: “the lowest you can make is $14.14,” she said when pointing to Anderson 5’s step‑one hourly rate on the schedule. She also read the four‑year degree range from the salary booklet: “If you have a 4 year degree, you start out at $14.86 and you go to $21.99.”
Committee members discussed how different districts handle steps and contract days (which affect annual pay even when hourly rates are similar). Amy said some districts have fewer steps or additional contract days; that can move other districts ahead on annual pay even if hourly rates are similar. The presenter also provided head‑count context: roughly 200 teaching assistants fall into the regular‑education TA categories in the district’s inventory; principals and funding sources vary by school and assignment.
Board members proposed straightforward scenarios so staff could run budget estimates. One trustee suggested a $1.50 per‑hour across‑the‑board increase; Amy responded, “I would put a dollar 50 on this,” and agreed to model a half‑dollar, $1.00, $1.50 and $2.00 scenario for the committee.
The committee discussed funding and Title I constraints. The presenter warned that labeling new positions as “reading interventionist” and funding them with Title I can trigger supplanting rules that increase the district’s general‑fund obligation. She said: “If we call them reading interventionists, then we're gonna come back in here and have to pick up every so those 24 might end up being 35.” The committee talked about targeting general‑fund‑funded instructional support assistants to focus on reading or other priorities without creating supplanting obligations.
No formal vote was taken. Staff said they will model dollar‑and‑headcount scenarios (including costs for a $0.50, $1.00, $1.50 and $2.00 increase) and return with the budget impacts and options for how positions could be funded across Title I and general fund.
Ending: Staff will return with modeled cost estimates and staffing counts for the committee’s review before final budget decisions.
