Dr. Carlson, a district staff presenter, told the Lee's Summit R‑VII board during a work session that the district has moved from many separate pay schedules to unified, forward‑facing salary schedules and that recent budget choices — putting dollars on the base rather than providing step movement in some years — produced mismatches between employees' years of experience and their pay steps.

The presentation traced actions dating to a 2009 Education Management Solutions (EMS) audit and a 2012 shift to four salary schedules. Dr. Carlson said that approach used a placement rule of putting employees on the step "closest to, but not less than" their prior pay so no one lost money during the transition. That policy left some staff with step numbers that did not match years of experience, prompting Team Lead Summit to run a phased correction plan (phases 1 and 2 implemented so far) affecting roughly 70 employees.

Why it matters: the board must set salary schedules that balance starting pay, career earnings and budget limits. Dr. Carlson showed how the district uses an indexed schedule — per‑step multipliers that make a $100 base increase produce larger dollar gains for employees at higher steps — and walked trustees through a simple exercise that produced a 40% width from step 1 to step 18 on a sample support schedule and 67% from step 1 to the end of that schedule.

Key figures and budgeting context: Dr. Carlson described recent spending as estimates because hiring and retirements change the totals. He cited $6,000,000 spent last year on salary changes; noted that roughly $4,000,000 was tied to step movement and about $2,000,000 to base increases; and said a districtwide step movement for the next year is estimated at about $4,200,000. He also said a $100 increase to the teacher base costs roughly $249,000 and a $100 across all schedules costs about $405,000.

On degree credit and special hires: trustees pressed whether graduate degrees outside a teacher's subject area count toward pay. Dr. Carlson said district board policy GCBA allows credit only for graduate work tied to education functions (administration, counseling, curriculum roles); unrelated degrees (for example, an MBA for a classroom math role) do not earn schedule credit unless the job content aligns. He also said Summit Technology Academy hires industry specialists and typically grants half credit for relevant industry experience (e.g., 30 years in industry = 15 years' step credit).

Market position and comparisons: the district uses NEA salary comparisons for the Kansas City metro. Dr. Carlson said Lee's Summit moved from 9th to 13th for beginning teacher pay in the most recent NEA data despite local increases, though it still ranks first at the top end of the teacher schedule. Trustees discussed how neighboring districts' levy outcomes — for example, Park Hill's recent levy that moved that district to the top starting pay — affect competitiveness.

Next steps and ballot contingency: Dr. Carlson said Team Lead Summit will prepare two salary schedule recommendations — one if Prop C passes and a contingency option if it fails. Because teacher contracts must be issued by April 15, the board may need a special session after the April election (once votes are certified) to adopt a schedule that reflects election outcomes.

Procedural note: the meeting opened with an adoption of the agenda on a motion and aye vote; the work session concluded with trustees moving to the main meeting upstairs.