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Senate committee hears plan to double recommended pay boost for classified school staff; motion to table carried
Summary
Sponsors proposed doubling a recommended $2-per-hour raise for classified school employees to $4 per hour (estimated cost $43 million). Supporters cited retention problems; opponents and some members raised enforcement and fiscal‑impact concerns. The committee voted to table the measure pending the omnibus education bill.
Senators spent a prolonged portion of the meeting debating a proposal to increase pay for classified school employees — bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria staff, nurses and paraprofessionals. Sponsor remarks emphasized that conversations about education have focused on teacher pay but have left out the support staff who "keep our schools running."
Sen. Greg Ledding (District 30) summarized the bill and how it would be funded: the measure would double a House adequacy recommendation, raising the suggested increase from $2 to $4 per hour. "SB 49 ... simply doubles that recommendation from $2 to $4 an hour," he said,…
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