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Teachers’ association warns of burnout, supply shortages and COVID absences as board backs minimum‑wage adjustments
Summary
Union president TJ Buckley told the board teachers are covering multiple classes amid a lack of substitutes, rising COVID cases and limited cleaning supplies; the board authorized pay increases to meet the federal $12.80 minimum and discussed compensating staff who cover classes.
TJ Buckley, president of the Fountain Hills Education Association, delivered public comment saying teachers in the district are "being spread so thin" because of a substitute shortage, rising COVID cases and a lack of readily available cleaning supplies. Buckley asked for stronger protective measures and said staff are experiencing "burnout and an alarming rate" of stress.
Superintendent Glass responded that cleaning supplies were delivered to teachers’ lounges at the start of the year and that staff may use a help‑desk ticket to request more supplies; the superintendent also said custodians and building leads can assist. Buckley’s statement and the superintendent’s response were followed by board discussion about maintenance workflows and communications.
Separately, the board authorized pay increases to bring five hourly employees up to the federal minimum wage of $12.80. Superintendent Glass said the immediate cost to address those hourly gaps was estimated and that broader equitable pay adjustments for certified staff would require waiting on legislative action tied to the district’s aggregate spending limits. The superintendent noted an estimated cost of roughly $200,000 for proposed rapid adjustments across affected staff.
Trustees also discussed revising the district’s practice for compensating teachers who cover classes for absent colleagues. The superintendent proposed removing the existing requirement that teachers cover five times before receiving compensation and instead compensate teachers from the first instance; trustees expressed support for faster compensation and asked staff to return with policy language.
Board members and the superintendent also reviewed CDC quarantine guidance (five‑day isolation, five days of recommended masking after return) and discussed operational limits on tracking vaccination status and enforcing masking given district policy does not require reporting vaccination status.
