Hamilton County hears Evergreen pay study; phase 1 implementation estimated at about $5 million

Evergreen Solutions presented the results of a comprehensive compensation and classification study to the Hamilton County Board of Education during the work session, telling the board the district’s pay structure is generally competitive but behind market medians and in need of structural changes.

The consultant described a two-part review — internal classification alignment and an external market comparison — and recommended a new tiered classification system, expanded pay grades and a phased transition. The district’s leadership told the board the first phase, which would crosswalk employees onto a new salary schedule and address immediate competitiveness, was estimated at approximately $5,000,000.

The study team said it reviewed more than 6,200 employees and roughly 430 classifications, noted 42 occupied pay grades in the district’s existing structure and found wide variation in pay-grade range spreads. “When we started off with this project, you had a little more than 6,200 employees that were part of the project, almost 4 30 classifications that were part of the project,” Evergreen project manager Stacy Witchell said. She told the board that midpoint progressions and range spreads varied and that about half of employees were paid behind the midpoint of their pay grade.

Witchell summarized the external market work: the firm benchmarked roughly 155 matched classifications against 20 peer public-sector organizations and more limited private-sector data for trade positions. She said the district’s minimums were about 4–5% below market medians and that maximums and range spreads varied by grade. “When I look at the minimum salaries across all your different peers as compared to you, you guys are about a little more 4 and a half percent behind the market at the 50 percentile,” Witchell said.

Recommendations included adopting a clear classification hierarchy (for example, director vs. deputy vs. coordinator), updating job descriptions based on a job-assessment phase, expanding the number of pay grades (the consultant proposed more grades in the general and administrator schedules), and adopting one consistent pay-methodology for transparency and budgeting. The report also recommended periodic, small-scale market checks so the district need not commission another comprehensive study every few years.

Superintendent Doctor Robertson and other district leaders framed the study as a multi-year effort. Robertson told the board the district’s immediate priority was phase 1: “That first phase, going though there was, to crosswalk our employees, the new salary schedule. And I can just give an estimation currently at that point was, approximately $5,000,000 to do that.” He said later phases would address salary compression and other structural issues that require additional budget deliberation.

Board members asked detailed operational questions about how matches to peer organizations were chosen, why some municipal employers (City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County government) were included in benchmarks, and how private-sector trades data were used. Witchell said matches focused on function rather than title and that some positions (accountants, electricians, mechanics) were benchmarked to non-school public employers or private-sector comparators when appropriate.

The presentation reviewed employee feedback from focus groups and surveys: respondents cited location, benefits and schedule as retention factors, and identified concerns about cost-of-living increases, salary compression, stipend inconsistencies and title drift. Witchell said the study identified opportunities to roll some stipends into base pay where appropriate, and to standardize stipend practices.

The board did not vote on any implementation item at the work session. District leaders said they will continue conversations with the finance committee and return with more detailed cost and budget scenarios. Robertson urged the board to consider implementing phase 1 for fiscal-year planning: “I would love for us to consider that at a minimum,” he said, referring to adopting the new schedule and addressing the immediate competitiveness gap.

Next steps described on the record included further review by the finance committee, refinement of implementation costs, and prioritization of phases for the FY-27 planning cycle. District staff and consultants said, if the board commits to an implementation path, the district should conduct periodic market checks instead of repeating a full study each year.