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Board debates support-staff pay as superintendent seeks preliminary approval of comprehensive budget
Summary
Superintendent Jones outlined budget priorities and asked the board for preliminary approval of the superintendent’s comprehensive budget; trustees debated support-staff pay, supplements, and an attendance bonus and requested a future salary study and more clarity on proposed increases.
Superintendent Jones and district finance staff presented the superintendent’s proposed comprehensive budget and invited the board to give preliminary approval, while trustees and public commenters pressed for larger increases in support-staff pay.
Jones described three budget goals — supporting teachers, empowering students and respecting taxpayers — and said the district serves nearly 47,000 students and employs about 6,000 people. The superintendent said the proposed budget prioritizes compensation increases while aiming not to raise taxes.
Mr. Gardner (district finance staff) told trustees that the finance committee heard the presentation and recommended the comprehensive budget be forwarded for consideration, and he verbally stated the budget total during the meeting. The transcript record of the dollar figure is unclear; the public record of the proposed total should be confirmed with district materials.
Trustees and public commenters debated the pay increase for support staff. Several public speakers described low take-home pay for paraprofessionals and support employees, including one speaker who said her gross annual salary is about $26,000 and her biweekly take-home is roughly $575. Trustee Daryl Ricketts (S2) said he remained unconvinced the proposed increases sufficiently moved support staff toward the board’s earlier commitment of an $18-per-hour starting salary and said he would not vote in favor as presented. Other trustees praised the budget, commended 0-based budgeting and noted multi-year percentage increases for teachers and support staff.
Several trustees asked that the board commission a salary study to compare district compensation with similar districts; one trustee said a more meaningful hourly increase would better address long-term pay issues than a short-term attendance bonus. The board discussed an attendance-bonus line of $3,000,000 that some trustees said may not address underlying recruitment and retention issues.
At the meeting the board debated and took public comment; the transcript does not include a final roll-call vote result for the comprehensive budget approval on May 18. District staff said a public hearing will be held on June 8 and a special-call meeting will be scheduled to request formal approval of the 2026–27 superintendent’s comprehensive budget.
