Board hears wage study, staff says district is below market; trustees approve converting some 210‑day contracts
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Summary
District staff reported support‑staff starting wages below regional and state averages in several categories and proposed consolidating contract day categories; the board voted to recommend moving some 210‑day positions to 260‑day contracts at an estimated $17,500 cost for three positions.
District staff presented a preliminary review of support‑staff wages and proposed contract‑day changes during the Feb. 5 workshop.
Stacy (Speaker 5) summarized benchmarking from four sources (WeCan postings, a Progress Lakeshore regional report, Baird Analytics and a CESA data hub). She reported the district's starting custodial/buildings & grounds wage is $17.45 per hour versus a trimmed average of about $18.63 in her sample of 86 districts, and paraprofessional starting pay was reported at $14.98 per hour versus an average near $17 in her dataset. She said central‑office clerical starting pay was roughly comparable to averages, while building clerical starts were about $16.84 versus an average near $19.19.
Stacy said the executive team is evaluating how to compress salary "lanes" and will model costs before formal recommendations. "So how do we get us back to the middle?" she asked, describing a preference to be competitive but not at the top 25 percent of pay.
The staff presentation also proposed standardizing contract categories and moving certain 210‑day positions (assistant principals at middle/intermediate schools and the athletic director) to 260‑day contracts so those administrators would coordinate summer‑school planning and athletics. The presenter estimated the change would cost approximately $17,500 to convert three positions.
A board member moved to approve the recommended conversion of days for those positions; the motion was seconded and the board voted aye to recommend the change to the board. Staff said Nathan and others will provide modeled cost scenarios and bring formal recommendations back to the board once variables related to consolidation are clearer.
Board discussion emphasized distinguishing market adjustments from CPI increases and the need for a sustainable, multi‑year plan to avoid short‑term fixes. Trustees also asked staff to include substitute pay and retention metrics in future analyses.