District studies pay changes for nurses, specialists and co‑curriculars; potential budget impact estimated

District leaders presented a January update on an ongoing compensation study that covers district services, school nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech‑language pathologists, school psychologists and co‑curricular contracts. The study aims to finalize job descriptions, compare market percentiles and recommend scale adjustments to improve recruitment and retention.

Director Denier said the study has finalized job descriptions and is meeting with employees and the compensation committee; a final recommendation is scheduled for March and, if adopted, would be included in the April balanced budget. The district presented three cost scenarios: remaining on the current scale would require roughly $63,000; moving to a 50th‑percentile market median would cost about $141,000; and a 60th‑percentile scenario would cost about $172,000.

Denier explained that several groups previously on the teacher salary scale were moved into the study pool because those positions (for example, school nurses and school psychologists) require additional licensure or graduate credentials and are hard to recruit. For those groups, the committee discussed building compensation increases into a dedicated scale rather than relying on the teacher three‑year rotation. The committee also discussed not “leapfrogging” current staff when setting new starting wages and the idea of providing incremental annual pay increases tied to successful performance evaluations.

Board members and staff also discussed co‑curricular stipend adjustments and how any changes would be phased. Director Denier said final figures will be refined with CFO staff and presented to employees before the board acts.

Ending: The compensation committee will continue analysis and present a final proposal in March; the board and administration plan additional employee communication before any scale changes are adopted and included in the April budget.