Edgar board OK’s raises for teachers
By Kevin O’Brien
Most Edgar teachers will see a pay raise of least $2,000 next school year under an updated compensation plan adopted by the school board last week.
The additional $2,000 equates to an average salary increase of about 3.7 percent over this school year, which is below the 4.12 percent rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). However, it is $600 more than the district’s previous compensation plan, which was adopted in 2022. If the board had kept the annual increase at $1,400, the average raise would have been 2.6 percent for 2024-2025.
Superintendent Cari Guden said several other districts in the area are offering the full CPI rate increase, but it’s just not possible within Edgar’s budget constraints.
“I would love to be able to present the 4.12 (percent increase), but to do that, we’d have to find something to do away with,” she said. “We’re hoping this is a good compromise.”
The raises are not guaranteed. Under the district’s compensation plan, each teacher must undergo an annual educator effectiveness evaluation and meet certain goals, and if they are deemed “effective,” they move up one step in the pay scale (earning the extra $2,000). If not, they are put on an improvement plan and do not qualify for the annual salary increase.
At the same time, teachers can also advance three steps in the pay scale (at $2,000 per step), and receive a one-time $1,000 stipend, by earning national board certification or a master’s or doctorate degree. They can also go up two steps at once by completing Wisconsin’s 316 Reading Specialist Certification.
Guden noted that the compensation plan
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Cari Guden Edgar
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was also amended to raise the starting wages for teachers to $41,400 beginning next school year, which is “pretty comparative” to other similar-sized districts in the area, she said.
During public comment, district resident Evan Lang questioned if the district could offer higher starting salaries and make it easier for teachers to move faster through the pay scale so they are more likely to stay in the district for a longer period of time. As owner of E.L.M Repair & Refrigeration, Lang said he provides raises based more on productivity and less on how long the employee has been with the company.
Lang said a starting wage closer to $50,000 would likely attract more new teachers who have thousands of dollars in student loans to pay off, and may struggle to pay for daycare or a house.
“I’m not advocating for spending more money, but I’m looking at the real picture,” he said. “It’s really hard to attract people for that kind of money.”
Board president Corey Mueller said district officials agree with Lang’s assessment, but the district’s budget constraints are a limiting factor.
Lang also wondered whether a percentage increase in wages every year would be better than a flat dollar amount. Guden said more and more districts are going to flat dollar amounts because it’s easier for budgeting purposes.
The compensation plan, first adopted in 2014, was the result of researching similar plans and piecing together the best parts into one that fit Edgar, Guden said.
“There are some plans out there that are super complicated,” she said. “There are so many pieces to the puzzle, for us to evaluate all of those pieces we thought was a little too much.”
The board also approved a compensation plan for support staff that increases the annual hourly wage from 50 to 75 cents, which equates to an average raise of around 3.7 percent. The district’s support staff includes about 18 employees, including kitchen workers, secretaries, four-year-old kindergarten aids and custodians. Starting wages were also increased for each of those employee classes.
Support staff wages were increased by $1.50 per hour last year, but Guden said the district is still not at a point where it can compete with other employers, such as Kwik Trip or McDonald’s, so she’s suggesting the board continue to raise those wages on a regular basis.
Other business
n The board accepted the resignations of middle school social studies teacher Emily Yeung and third-grade teachers Emily Morzewski and Chloe Miland. Each of them is moving to a different district due to personal reasons, according to administrators.
n The board approved the hiring of Tristan Noback, who currently works in the Tigerton School District, as a fourth-grade teacher. Elementary principal Lisa Witt said the school has interviewed several applicants for the vacant third-grade positions, but have yet to get an accepted job offer.
n For co-curricular activities, the board accepted the resignations of middle school softball coach Kailee Davis and assistant varsity girls basketball coach Holly Nowak. Craig Van Der Leest was hired to replace Davis.
n The board approved new teacher contracts for the 2024-2025 school year, with an increase in liquidated damages for those who sign a contract and then back out during the summer leading up to the new school year. Under the new contracts, teachers will be charged $1,000 for quitting between June 15 and 30, $2,500 during the month of July and $4,000 after Aug. 1.
n During an update on open enrollment for 2024-2025, Guden said the district has so far received six applications from non-resident students looking to enter the district and three from residents looking to attend school in another district. April 30 is the deadline for applications.
n Elementary school principal Lisa Witt said 167 students have signed up so far for summer school, which will run Monday through Thursday, from June 17 to July 18. The registration deadline is May 6.
n District bookkeeper Morgan Mueller told the board that the district is tentatively projecting a $46,000 deficit for 2024-2025, but that gap could be closed by taking money out of the maintenance budget, or by other budgetary factors such as student enrollment in the fall.
“We’ll certainly keep a close eye on it,” she said.
