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Somerton board approves pay changes, stipends and a comprehensive salary study
Summary
The Somerton Elementary District board approved a series of personnel and pay actions Dec. 9, including stipends for hard-to-fill positions, a revised salary schedule to meet Arizona's Jan. 1 minimum wage increase, a districtwide classified pay adjustment affecting about 250 hourly staff, authorization of a comprehensive compensation study by EMS, and the superintendent's $4,000 performance pay.
The Somerton Elementary District board on Dec. 9 approved multiple measures intended to address recruitment and retention and to align the district's pay structure with current market conditions. The actions include new retention stipends, a revised salary schedule to reflect the state minimum wage increase, a short-term pay increase for classified hourly staff and authorization to hire Educational Management Solutions (EMS) for a comprehensive job classification and compensation study.
The board voted to add a retention stipend of $1,600 for hard-to-fill positions (noted as elementary and middle-school ESS, ELA, math and science roles) and an additional $1,200 IEP-support stipend for ESS staff, with payments split between December and May. "This made it possible to give a retention stipend to all of our hard-to-fill teachers," administration told the board during the presentation.
Board members approved a revised non-exempt classified hourly salary schedule to implement Arizona's minimum-wage increase to $15.15 effective Jan. 1, 2026. Administration said the district will apply a 3% increase to classified hourly employees hired before July 1, 2025, while other eligible employees will receive a 1.5% cost-of-living adjustment. Officials stated roughly 250 hourly employees will be affected.
Alma Gonzalez, director of human resources, outlined the district's recommendation to hire EMS for a deep job analysis and market survey to produce updated job descriptions, recommended classifications and a phased compensation plan. "They do a job classification and compensation study... the process can take at least four months," Gonzalez said, describing EMS's job-analysis, market-comparison and implementation planning work.
Board members said they expect EMS's findings to inform a multi-year plan to bring positions to market parity over three to five years where feasible. "They give you a phase-in plan," a board member said during discussion of the study.
The board also approved the superintendent's FY24-25 performance pay, granting an "outstanding" rating and the full $4,000 payment.
All measures were approved by motions on the consent or action calendar. The EMS study and the phased implementation it recommends will require further administrative work to collect employee and supervisor input and to prepare a budgetary plan for any multi-year adjustments.
