The Camp Verde Unified School District approved a 4% pay raise for teachers, administrators and other classified staff at their March 14 board meeting. Superintendent Steve Hicks stated that the district aims to enable teachers to continue their education as well as to increase their salaries.
On the district’s salary scale, six teachers have bottomed out with bachelor’s degrees, meaning that they are not eligible for additional raises after 10 years or more of employment. All of the other teachers have a master’s degree or higher level of education.
After discussing uncertain enrollment for the coming year, as well as federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding that will end in 2024, the board settled on a 4% raise, with board member Sharon Petrie suggesting a 5% raise.
Hicks expressed an opinion that the state is likely to provide a 3% base support increase in the near future, although he could not confirm it. He also stated that the district has ample reserves. Board member Helen Freeman stated that she didn’t want the district to spend money it doesn’t have and that calculating an appropriate raise before all of the numbers were confirmed was difficult.
The board also discussed the cost to teachers of enrolling in graduate school in order to secure qualifications that would make them eligible for potential pay increases. Board member Carol German reiterated that those who have bottomed out have stuck with the school and that they should be recognized for their continued service. She showed support for adding a cell to the bottom of the certified salary schedule that would increase pay for these teachers as well.
German cited the cost of graduate school as being around $1,200 per credit hour, which would potentially outweigh any pay increase teachers would receive as a result of obtaining a graduate degree. Board member Thomasene Cardona suggested working toward creating an alternative to the salary schedule to give teachers other options to feel supported.
The pay raise was approved by a 3-2 vote with Cardona and Freeman opposed. The board also approved a pay raise for all classified personnel regardless of their positions in the salary schedule, which Cardona and Freeman also opposed.
The board’s future agenda items will include how to better support teachers and help them achieve additional hours to increase their compensation.
