Glendale board delays preschool special‑education stipend while approving rest of 2025–26 salary schedule

The Glendale Elementary School District Governing Board on Feb. 13 approved its 2025–26 salary schedule but removed the proposed special‑education stipend for preschool self‑contained teachers from the consent item after multiple teachers asked the board to delay the vote.

The item pulled from the consent agenda covered extra‑duty pay, extracurricular assignments and supplementary assignments for the 2025–26 year, including a proposed stipend structure that would give K–8 self‑contained special‑education teachers $10,000 and preschool self‑contained special‑education teachers $5,000. Teachers who spoke during the public‑comment period said preschool special‑education responsibilities are equivalent to K–8 self‑contained roles and urged the board to revisit the stipend amounts.

Why it matters: The stipend question affects compensation for preschool special‑education teachers across the district and prompted the board to separate that piece from the salary schedule so it can be discussed further before the district implements pay differentials for similar positions.

Three district special‑education teachers spoke during the public comment period. Robin Begay, a special‑education teacher at Desert Garden Preschool, asked the board to "please delay voting pertaining to the proposed special education stipend, until this matter can be looked at further. So there is equitable pay among all self contained teachers." Jessi Walker, who said she is a universal special‑education preschool teacher at Desert Garden, told the board the proposed stipend structure was not equitable: "The proposed stipends recommend that K‑8 self contained SPED teachers ... receive $10,000, while self contained preschool SPED teachers receive $5,000." Walker said her current caseload is 22 students split between an AM class of 12 and a PM class of 10 and outlined tasks preschool teachers perform that mirror K–8 responsibilities.

Kimberly Murphy, a teacher with decades of experience in the district, said preschool special‑education classrooms provide early intervention and a foundation for later student success. "Strong programs begin with fair compensation," Murphy said.

Board response and outcome: Board members granted the request to separate the stipend language from the consent item. The board voted to approve consent agenda items A–K and then voted to approve the overall salary schedule for 2025–26 with the explicit exclusion of the extra‑duty pay / extracurricular / supplementary assignments portion that contains the disputed stipend amounts. Board members said the excluded portion will return on a future agenda for additional discussion; no final stipend change for preschool special‑education teachers was adopted at the Feb. 13 meeting.

Votes at a glance - Motion to adopt the meeting agenda: approved (unanimous). - Motion to pull Item L (the 2025–26 salary schedule document) from the consent agenda to discuss separately: passed; consent items A–K approved. - Motion to approve the 2025–26 salary schedule with the exception of extra‑duty pay/extracurricular/supplementary assignments (the stipend portion): passed; the stipend portion will return for further discussion. - Motion to adjourn: passed.

What happens next: Board members and staff indicated the excluded stipend language will be the subject of continued discussion at a later meeting. Human Resources staff (Ms. Valadez, HR Services) was identified as the staff contact for questions about how the stipend amounts were developed. The board did not set a specific deadline for returning the stipend item; members said they want additional conversation and clarity before approving differential stipends.

Meeting context and scope: The item was discussed in public comment and during normal board deliberations; three teachers provided substantive requests to delay the stipend vote. No statutes, ordinances or external funding sources were referenced during the discussion, and no final change to the stipend amounts was adopted at this meeting.

Quotes used in this article are taken from the meeting transcript and attributed to speakers recorded at the Feb. 13 Glendale Elementary School District Governing Board meeting.