Natomas Charter review of compensation study zeroes in on health benefits and budget trade-offs

The Natomas Charter School Board of Directors on a January 2025 meeting devoted more than an hour to a compensation study that showed substantial, multi‑year raises in teacher and classified pay but flagged sharply rising employee health‑insurance costs and the need for clearer options ahead of budget decisions.

The board heard that salary and benefits together account for roughly 75–85% of the district’s annual budget and that “salary and benefits represent 80% of our budget,” Executive Director Dr. Joe Wood said as he introduced the analysis. The presentation compared Natomas Charter to nearby districts and charter schools, showing the district lagged in some administrator and teacher salary bands while matching or exceeding peers in several classified categories.

The nut graph: the conversation centered on trade‑offs — whether new money should raise wages, expand employer‑paid health coverage, or both — and on practical fixes staff said would immediately improve employees’ experience, notably more timely open‑enrollment information and an independent broker to advocate for staff during renewals.

Board and staff said recent compensation work has raised wages…