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Preliminary salary study finds pay competitiveness gaps for Barrow County principals and specialized staff
Summary
Doctor Kurtz presented preliminary results of a districtwide classification and compensation study showing teacher competitiveness varies by degree/step, while principal and specialized staff pay trails peer districts; an executive summary and recommendations will be delivered later in January.
Doctor Kurtz told the board the district’s classification and compensation study—conducted by Educational Planners—has produced preliminary findings that will guide recommendations to the board.
The study compared district pay across peer districts (including Cherokee County and neighboring systems). Kurtz said early-career bachelor-level teachers appear middling in competitiveness while later-degree bands and specialist/doctoral levels show widening gaps. He said principal salary placement is a particular concern: although the district’s principal salary scale looks competitive on paper, experience-award rules mean few current principals fall into the top half when compared to peers.
Kurtz described the study’s next steps: deliver the executive summary later in January, work with the board to prioritize recommendations, analyze costs and implementation approaches, and plan communications. He emphasized the study covers all staff groups, not just teachers and principals, and said district staff will consider benefits, retirement matching changes (e.g., a 3% 403(b) match for certain staff) and potential broker options for ancillary benefits.
Board members asked several clarifying questions about awarding experience and benefits; Kurtz said the district will examine changes carefully and return with prioritized options for the board to consider.
No formal action was taken; the item was presented as an informational update with a follow-up executive summary planned.
