Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Employee Compensation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rogers board approves 2025–26 salary schedule; raises for teachers, bus drivers and mentor stipend included
Summary
The board approved a salary schedule adjustment that adds $750 across certified lanes, increases bus drivers’ hourly rate by about $4 funded from vehicle‑purchase savings, and creates a $250 mentor stipend for teachers who coach first‑year teachers.
The Rogers School District Board of Education unanimously approved a 2025–26 salary schedule on Thursday that increases certified pay and adds targeted increases for bus drivers and teacher mentors.
Dr. Hill, who presented the proposal, said the schedule adds $750 to each certified salary lane and that the package translates to approximately a 1.43 percent increase for classified staff. "What we did this year is we put all of our eggs in the basket front in the sense that we did 2,500 on the front end, no bonus," Dr. Hill said, explaining the district focused on base pay increases rather than a one‑time bonus.
Under the approved schedule, a beginning teacher with a bachelor’s degree at step 1 would start at $53,250, and the district's top‑lane master’s salary exceeds $80,000 under the new scale, Dr. Hill said. The board also approved a $250 stipend to recognize teachers who mentor first‑year teachers.
Jake, the district's chief financial officer, explained the bus‑driver increase. The district is reallocating about $200,000 from planned bus purchases to wages to raise hourly pay for drivers by about $4 per hour to bring the district closer to neighboring districts and improve recruitment and retention.
Board members approved the schedule by voice vote after the presentation. "Motion to approve," a board member said; the transcript shows the motion was made and seconded. No roll‑call tally was recorded in the meeting minutes provided at the meeting.
District leaders said they will monitor enrollment and state funding and could consider a supplemental bonus later in the year if revenues and enrollment allow.
