Staff compensation,

from p. 1 school year. After that, raises will be based on what the board decides every year.

Green said although imperfect, the model made it easier to arrive at a ballpark figure when hiring someone new.

“At least it’s a system to try and keep it somewhat close. At the end of the day, when somebody comes to me or I have to hire a position … and I have zero applicants, and somebody wants X amount of money and it doesn’t fit this model, we have a decision to make. Do we go without or are we willing to stretch the model? Those are things that we have to figure out,” he said.

Green also briefly addressed longevity pay, as there had been questions about that. The current staff handbook has two different systems of longevity pay, for those hired before 2018 and those hired after. This new model would do away with both of those.

“Those would go out the door and (the) employee relations (committee) could start to have those conversations again next year. Now, we have a new beginning to a salary structure. Now, what could a longevity bump look like?” he asked.

He said it was important to figure that piece out because some people will have just missed an increase they would have gotten under the old system, so he wanted to make sure they still got something.

“It gives employee relations something to talk about. I want to honor the people that stay here and want to give people a reason to stay here,” he said.

For support staff, the base rate has been increased to $15.50 per hour, with a $0.20 increase per year. If the support staff member has an associate’s degree, they get an extra $0.50 per hour and a bachelor’s degree is an extra $1 per hour. If the support staff’s current salary is more than the formula calculation, they will receive a $0.65 raise.

Green also made the point that when talking about compensation, it includes more than just wages. When wages go up, the employer’s contribution to the employee’s retirement account goes up.

“When you increase wages, it’s not just wages. The total package goes up and it’s a bigger dollar amount for the district,” said Green. “I wanted them (the staff) to see our average salary with someone that’s on a family health plan, the cost of retirement, the cost of subs for that person based on the sick time allotted, what does dental and life insurance cost, long-term disability. So when we talk about what does somebody make, it’s more than just salary.”

The board unanimously approved the staff compensation model.