Board approves pay increases and one-time stipends to lift support-staff wages; substitutes also to get raises

The Franklin Community School Corp board approved a package of support-staff pay adjustments and stipends aimed at improving recruitment and retention. Tina from the business office presented a peer review of 15 districts showing about 58% of the district’s positions were in the bottom third of pay among peers and proposed a set of raises and schedule changes to move those positions back toward competitive ranges.

Under the plan approved by the board, support-staff pay increases would cost an estimated $993,000 (the administration had budgeted just over $1 million). The district also proposed a one-time 2% stipend for support staff who received an "effective" or "highly effective" rating on their most recent performance evaluation; the stipend—estimated at $250,000—would be paid Dec. 19 and funded from the referendum fund balance. Tina said the stipend calculation would be based on gross wages for the evaluation period (Oct. 1, 2023–Sept. 30, 2024) and employees must be employed through Dec. 7 to receive it.

Substitute daily rates were raised: regular substitutes from $85 to $100 per day, licensed teachers from $95 to $115 per day, and retired teachers from $105 to $125 per day. Tina told the board the substitute increases would move the district from 11th out of 13 to roughly 4th out of 13 among comparable districts for substitute pay in the immediate area.

Board members moved and approved the consent agenda that included these pay adjustments. Administration said staff letters would go out to employees in the coming days specifying individual changes.

The board also noted insurance renewals and budget impacts (workers’ comp and liability) that the business office is tracking as the district completes its year-end close.