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"I think we can and should do something," Superintendent Dr. John Long told The Record. "I have always believed you pay your teachers as much as you can pay them. Our teachers are our most valuable community resource."
The average increase for the 2009-10 school year, the final year of the phased salary increase, is 9 percent. That is up from the current year when employees received a 6 percent boost in pay.
When the salary scale was approved for the 2007-08 school year, employees received a 5 percent increase.
Long noted that traditionally the district increases noncertified staff pay by the same percentage as certified teachers.
He explained that when the school board passed the salary scale in 2007, the approval was contingent on the state's funding formula meeting its projections and distributing more money to the district. "We were not on the hook for something we could not afford," he stated. But some teachers disagree and feel the district is obligated to meet the pay increase.
"It was kind of promised," said John Clinger, a longtime teacher in the district. "A lot of people have made decisions to stay here because they knew their salary was going to grow and it would be a great place to stay. To change that now is kind of hard medicine to take."
When the state projected future revenue in 2007, Long said districts were told it cost $6,117 to educate one student. The state formula projected those costs to increase by $50 for the following year. Long, however, explained that the formula's cost per student did not increase and instead dropped.
Also at last week's school board meeting, Long relayed a message from Pam Frazier, the district's chief financial officer, who recently learned transportation funding might also be lower and could lead to an estimated $150,000 shortfall for the 2009-10 school year.
The salary scale was set up two years ago to increase the base salary for rookie teachers. At the time, the annual base salary was around $27,000, Long said. Once the three-year scale was fully implemented, a first-time teacher was expected to begin work earning $30,000.
He said the salary scale also set higher benchmarks for teachers who had 10 years' experience and a master's degree and others who were nearing retirement.
Steve McDowell, co-president of the WarrenTEAM, the district's collective bargaining unit, said it was his organization's intent to dispel any rumors regarding the possibility of any employees being let go or what areas might have their budget slashed.
Long confirmed that no staff cuts are planned.
District officials say teacher salaries have been an issue for several years.
They maintain the district loses too many teachers to other districts for better pay mainly in St. Charles County.
When the salary scale was approved by the school board in 2007, Long said the district knew it would need an additional 20 percent in funding over the next three years combined to meet the higher payroll demands.
District administrators, teachers and school board members are now concerned how the community will react should employees get a substantial pay increase during a nationwide recession.
School board member Dale Schowe remarked it's been the district's intent in the past to close the gap with neighboring districts' salaries. And the timing is right, Long noted, because nearby districts are cutting staff and freezing wages.
"We are trying to get those people up to where we are competitive in the market," Schowe said.
Discussion centering on the pay scale is expected to be a "three-month conversation" and won't be clearer until the April meeting when legislators get closer to approving the state's education budget.
"We just want to be competitive with surrounding school districts," McDowell said. "We have some great teachers in this school district. We want to be able to keep those teachers in this district."
