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Fremont County School District No. 1 approves new salary schedules amid state funding changes
Summary
The board approved next years salary schedules after public comment from speech-language pathologists, coaches and teachers and an extended discussion about the states new "instructional silo" funding rules that limit local flexibility.
Fremont County School District No. 1s Board of Trustees voted to approve a set of salary schedules for the coming year after a prolonged public comment period and board discussion about the limits imposed by new state funding rules.
The motion to approve "all of the salary schedules as amended" was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote. Board members said the district faced legal and practical constraints from the state's new funding model, which earmarks a large portion of aid for certified instructional staff and requires districts to meet an average-salary threshold for those positions.
Superintendent Mike Harris and district finance staff told the board the changes narrow local flexibility. "The instructional silo was created," a finance staff member explained during the meeting, and that pot of money is no longer available for the district to use as it sees fit. Staff said the model also moved the calculation from a three-year rolling average to a two-year average and imposes limits on the percentage a district may increase salaries in certain categories.
Several public commenters urged the board to consider how the schedules affect specialized staff. "Under the current proposed salary, the start salary for an SLP is $62,150," speech-language pathologist Jordan Arredondo told the board. "A starting SLP with a master's degree and clinical licensure will earn less than a teacher starting at $63,387. That devalues specialized licensure and risks our ability to retain in-person services." Arredondo asked the board to adjust SLP pay to reflect degree and licensure requirements.
Peter Nichols, a 7th-grade teacher and local association president, praised the districts movement to raise the salary base, saying the proposed base of $63,387 represented meaningful progress while urging continued monitoring of regional competitiveness.
The public comment period also included appeals from coaches. Assistant Nordic-ski coach Jonathan Weaver said he had been paid only half his agreed stipend after being told during hiring he would have a year to obtain the required coaching permit. "I was informed midseason that I did in fact need a coaching permit," Weaver said. "I coached the season and finished the work; I ask the board to consider whether the district should pay coaches who completed the work despite administrative errors." Board members said they were troubled by reports of unpaid stipends and pledged to pursue follow-up.
Board discussion before the vote focused on trade-offs between using one-time funds to address immediate shortfalls and preserving long-term reserves. One member warned that dipping into reserves commits future boards to continuing costs. Several members asked staff to form a working group to assess administrative pay, staffing mix and the long-term impact of using reserves for compensation.
The vote to approve the salary schedules was recorded in the meeting transcript as a voice vote; there was no roll-call tally included in the record.
What happens next: Board members asked administrators to return with more specific analyses and work with legislative contacts about possible changes to the states funding approach. The board scheduled additional review and working sessions ahead of the districts final budget vote in July.
