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Cumberland County School Board approves single certified salary scale; administrators excluded from 2% raise this year
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Summary
At a special called meeting the Cumberland County School Board voted to place all certified employees on a single salary scale and to delay a 2% increase for administrators for the 2025-26 budget year; board members directed staff to return to a work session to finalize administrator percentages.
At a special called meeting, the Cumberland County School Board voted to place all certified employees on a single salary scale and to defer a proposed 2% increase for administrators for the 2025-26 budget year.
Board members said consolidating scales would simplify payroll calculations and reduce complexity. Board chair (unnamed in the transcript) moved the measure "that we put all the certified people on 1 scale with some caveats... for this year certified administrators wouldn't go with 2% increase." The motion was seconded and opened to discussion.
The board chair said the two scales had grown "wider and wider apart" and were creating unnecessary calculations. Chris King, board member, and others argued the immediate change should align certified staff while a separate process determines administrator percentages. King noted the board would "split out what we're gonna do with the administration from there" and that final percentage adjustments for administrators would be resolved at a later work session.
Board members expressed that consolidating scales is an incremental step toward longer-term pay adjustments. Travis Matthews said the move was "long overdue," and several members agreed it would benefit district employees over time.
When the board voted, the tally recorded seven votes in favor, one abstention and two absent members. Votes in favor were Miss Nicholls, Miss Stout, Miss Hale, Travis Matthews, Mister Cole, Tara Martin and Miss Hedrick. Mister Van Winkle recorded an abstention. The transcript indicates Miss Stoll and Mister Davis were absent earlier in the meeting.
The board did not set final administrator percentage increases at the meeting. Members directed staff and board leaders to return with detailed figures at an upcoming work session so administrators' percentage adjustments could be decided separate from the move to a single scale. Several speakers emphasized that salary-scale work and benefits discussions "go hand in hand" and that any monetary effects should be considered together when finalizing the budget.
The board also discussed scheduling: members agreed to continue detailed salary- and benefits-related work at a scheduled work session and to hold an additional meeting if more time or data are needed before the regular board meeting, where a final vote on budget items is expected.
The consolidation decision affects certified employees systemwide; specific administratively targeted percentage adjustments will be determined later and are not part of this action.
