Radnor board told to approve decade-long supplemental pay update; administration recommends modest 1% step next year

Administrators presented a decade-long review of Radnor Township School District supplemental pay Aug. 19 and recommended a modest, staged increase intended to bring the district closer to market rates.

The administration recommended the board approve a 1% increase to all athletic and nonathletic supplementals beginning in the 2026–27 school year and to raise the a la carte extra-duty rate from $23.09 to $25 an hour. "A 1% increase is what we are recommending that the board approve for all athletic and non athletic supplementals beginning in the 2627 year," Mister Bechtold said during his presentation of methodology and recommendations.

The review, led administratively by Mister Bechtold with assistance from Mister Pauling and others, used Central Athletic League comparators, data from 2023–24 and 2024–25, and feedback from supplemental holders and booster clubs to identify supplementals that have fallen out of market alignment after more than a decade without a systematic update. Bechtold said the district collected stakeholder input, examined pay formulas (tiered athletic steps vs. flat nonathletic rates) and revised certain formulas so that similar positions receive equal pay across genders and comparable roles.

Administrators proposed several targeted additions to the athletic roster at the high-school level — including a girls volleyball assistant, coed indoor track assistant and a boys tennis assistant — that together add about $18,522 to the district’s annual costs. "These four athletic positions will be new positions costing $18,522 for the district," Bechtold said, noting the additions were driven by increased student participation in those programs.

Board members asked how the changes would affect hiring and budget oversight. One member asked whether the district has market-adjustment triggers for hard-to-fill positions; Bechtold and Mister Pauling said the board has in the past approved one-off adjustments when necessary and that the 2025–26 budget contains a placeholder sufficient to support the recommended changes without phasing them in. Pauling said the administration can implement the full recommendation immediately and build the 1% increase into subsequent budgets.

The board discussed implementation timing. Administration asked to place a schedule of proposed supplemental rates on the board action agenda next week so staff and applicants would know the pay rates; several members asked for more review time and suggested delaying approval until September with retroactive application possible. Bechtold said staff could share recommended rates internally before formal board action but emphasized they would not be official until the board voted.

Next steps: administration will prepare a full schedule and recommended rates for board action at either next week’s business meeting or the September meeting, and will revise job descriptions for select supplementals to clarify duties such as scouting and time expectations.