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Sun Prairie HR director recommends two‑year, tiered pay plan to boost hourly wages
Summary
Chris Adler, the district’s human resources director, told the Sun Prairie Area School Board May 11 that a wage study found most hourly roles below Dane County averages and recommended a two‑year, tiered plan funded in part by the 2024 referendum; year‑one would use $1 million with retroactive pay if approved.
Chris Adler, director of human resources for the Sun Prairie Area School District, presented a wage‑study update to the school board on May 11, 2026, and recommended approval of a two‑year, tiered plan of percentage‑based increases for hourly and support staff.
Adler said the study compared every hourly role against a nine‑district Dane County peer group and that "our compensation for hourly roles were less than the Dane County market averages" in almost every hourly role. He described an eight‑tier methodology that groups roles by how far they fall below the market in 2.5% increments and said the tiers determine the percentage increases.
The plan for year one (2025‑26, presented in May 2026) would use $1 million from the 2024 referendum, with about $850,000 focused on compensation and approximately $150,000 intended to cover employer retirement and payroll taxes (Wisconsin Retirement System, FICA, Social Security), according to Adler. He said tier one roles would receive an 8.75% adjustment in year one, with smaller percentages for lower tiers; tiers range from more than 17.5% below market down to roughly 0–2.5% below market.
Adler identified areas concentrated in the highest‑need tiers, saying many tier‑one and tier‑two roles fall in facilities and grounds and nutrition services, while tiers three through five include school‑based positions such as 4K assistants, instructional assistants and bilingual instructional assistants. He emphasized that percent‑based increases were chosen "to honor experience," because percentage increases scale with existing wages.
On timing, Adler said the wage study work began in February 2026, included focus groups with hourly staff in April, and that the district sent a general communication to support staff about findings on May 1. He told the board the proposal is before them May 11; he also said that, if approved, retroactive pay would be applied back to July 1, 2025 (the transcript also references "June 12" in the same explanation; the presenter’s exact meaning for that date was unclear in the record).
Adler recommended the board approve the year‑one adjustments as the first phase of a two‑year plan, with a reanalysis planned for winter/spring 2027 to evaluate remaining gaps against the same Dane County peer districts. He framed the proposal as intended to help the district "recruit, hire, and retain high‑quality hourly employees."
The presentation concluded with Adler asking the board to approve the recommendations on behalf of the superintendent and human resources office; no formal vote or board action is recorded in the transcript provided.
