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Rogers board approves salary schedule with targeted raises for teachers and bus drivers
Summary
Rogers Public Schools approved a new salary schedule that increases base pay for certified teachers, adds a $250 mentor stipend and raises bus driver hourly rates by $4, board members said. District leaders said the step increases were designed to retain staff while remaining cautious about enrollment and state funding volatility.
The Rogers Public Schools Board of Education on Tuesday approved a revised salary schedule that raises starting teacher pay, provides step increases across lanes, adds a mentor stipend and increases pay for bus drivers.
District officials said the schedule adds $750 to each certified salary step and would set a beginning bachelor’s step 1 teacher salary at $53,250. The change also represents a 1.43% increase for classified staff overall; bus drivers will receive about a $4-per-hour increase funded by reallocating roughly $200,000 from vehicle purchases to personnel, administrators said.
Superintendent Doctor Hill and Chief Financial Officer Jake told the board the changes were recommended by the district’s compensation committees and were intended to improve recruitment and retention while remaining fiscally cautious. “We put more of the money on the front end this year,” Hill said, describing a $2,500 front-loaded increase in prior adjustments and the district’s decision to emphasize base pay over bonuses.
The schedule also adds a $250 stipend to compensate teachers who mentor first-year teachers, and retains lane-and-step movement so long-tenured teachers can continue to advance toward top pay. Hill said the top-of-scale pay for a teacher with a master’s degree would exceed $80,000 under the new schedule.
Board members asked how enrollment and state funding might affect the district’s ability to sustain the increases. CFO Jake said projected state foundation funding figures were still subject to finalization and that the district might consider a supplemental bonus next year if enrollment and state revenues improve. “Student enrollment is something we’re watching closely,” Jake said.
The board voted to approve the schedule. Board President called for a motion; a motion to approve the proposal was made and seconded, and the measure passed.
The administration said the district funded the bus-driver raise by redirecting funds from the transportation capital budget, where spending on buses has been below earlier forecasts. Hill said the bus-driver increase was intended to bring pay more into line with regional competitors and improve driver recruitment and retention. The board also heard that the district intends to reexamine compensation next year if state revenues or enrollment change materially.
The district did not present an immediate additional bonus or one-time payment tied to this action. Officials said they would continue monitoring enrollment, state foundation funding and investment income while implementing the schedule.
Votes at a glance: the board approved the salary schedule in a recorded motion during the March meeting. No amendment to the schedule was proposed on the floor.
The board will publish the finalized salary schedule and implementation timeline for payroll staff and employees, and district personnel said individual contract and lane-step placements would be confirmed in the coming weeks.
