At the Salida School District Board of Education March 12, 2024 meeting, the board voted to approve several items to continue to support staff.
The board approved increasing salaries through annual salary schedule increases (aka steps and levels), which is an estimated increase of $179,500 from the general fund.
In addition, the board approved paying the 11 percent increase to insurance; an estimated increase of $127,000 from the general fund.
Image courtesy of Salida School District.
In a statement to the news media, the Salida Board of Education noted:
“Teachers and staff are without question, the most important factor in the Salida School District’s ability to meet the mission to help all students reach their learning potential. In an increasingly expensive community to live in, compensation is a critical matter to ensure our students have the best teachers and support staff possible. Continued academic success is directly related to those staff who engage children day after day.”
Last year the board approved paying an additional eight percent increase to insurance premiums, or 19 percent over the last two years.
Also last year the board approved an 8.7 percent increase to certified base pay. Over the past seven years, teacher base pay has been raised by 31 percent. In addition, classified staff were moved to a minimum of $20/hour last year. Seven years ago the base minimum was $10.43/hour.
The board statement points out that “The district works hard to attract and retain staff through an incredibly competitive benefit package. Every full-time employee has 100 percent paid health, dental, vision, life insurance policies, with the opportunity to purchase additional coverage for families. Staff also enjoy products like no-cost surgery for the most common procedures and free mental health counseling.
The district also offers a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) that pays up to $3,000 annually to offset deductible costs. Employees also have access to additional products like a FLEX/125 account, accident, disability, and cancer insurance coverage.”
Image courtesy of the Salida School District.
Recapping Staff Benefits
The Salida School District gives staff more than 10 days of paid time off a year. The majority of staff are scheduled for 156 days of work. Staff can also accrue or roll those days over, and a veteran staff member can have saved up to 80 paid days off. The district also offers a sick leave bank, offering an additional 32 paid days off. So, in the space of eight years, a staff member can potentially access 112 paid days off.
“These are the benefits and support that keep staff coming back,” proclaims the statement. “As of March 8, we have nine instructional staff who are leaving their positions: one person is retiring, two of them are pursuing other careers outside of teaching, three are moving out of state, two are potentially caring for elderly family members and at least one left the district due to personal reasons. Nine instructional staff of 130, is a 6.9 percent turnover rate.”
“Everyone agrees our local cost of living and salaries are challenging, and the Board of Education is doing all it can to improve the inequities. For context, Colorado is 50th in the nation for teacher pay when you compare our GDP with per pupil funding, as well as when you compare cost of living with teacher base pay.”
The public school hiring season is in full swing and Salida principals have filled 10 positions already. There are 4.5 instructional openings still to be filled. According to the Salida Board of Education, the hiring context is sobering. For the next year there are expected to be 500,000 teacher openings in America, but only 100,000 educational-degree graduates entering the workforce. Colorado Front Range schools still have hundreds of unfilled positions.
Representing the Salida School District, the board is on record that it “is grateful for the incredible staff members who are dedicated to creating the best experience for students. Teachers and support classroom staff serve as more than just educators, but also ensure students have a safe space for their personal growth. They cultivate relationships with parents and community members and dedicate countless hours to lesson planning, meetings, and professional development.”
“Beyond the classroom, the board points out that school staff provide knowledge and skills to keep buses running smoothly, buildings clean and welcoming, provide meals to students and staff, keep up with the latest technology, and ensure that the district is financially responsible with taxpayer dollars.”
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