District launches classified pay study; officials caution increases carry multimillion‑dollar cost

District administrators told the board they are conducting a salary study of classified (hourly) positions and reviewing job titles and pay to address recruitment and retention concerns.

Assistant Superintendent Mr. Downes and Director of Human Resources Abby Bowen told trustees the district added gap insurance for employees this school year to reduce maximum out‑of‑pocket costs and that staff have begun collecting pay data from surrounding school districts and local employers. The work includes standardizing several job titles that had been unique to single employees and reviewing employer contributions for health insurance and other benefits.

Board members and administrators discussed scale and funding. A board member said a $1/hour raise for every classified employee (the member cited a district count of 757 classified staff) would cost roughly $750,000 annually; reaching a $15.16/hour floor across the classified workforce was estimated to cost on the order of several million dollars per year. Administrators cautioned those figures are estimates and that any compensation changes will need to be sustainable, balanced against other budget priorities, and coordinated with staffing and benefits changes.

Administrators said they will finish collecting regional pay data, evaluate funding sources and implementation timelines, and return to the board with recommendations. The board reiterated support for improving pay and asked for updates during the budget process.