CVUSD Raises
The Camp Verde Unified School District approved raises for its staff during its March 10 meeting.
• Administrator salaries will be raised by 4%
• Ancillary, or support staff, salaries will be raised by 4%
• Classified staff salaries will be raised about 4%, 2.17% of which will be a salary schedule increase for the 2026 2027 school year
• Certified teaching staff will have increases based on the certified salary schedule, averaging 1.61%
“Right now, our [Proposition] 301, all of it goes to teachers,” Superintendent Steve Hicks said. “When we know what 301 is, hopefully in June-ish, we’ll be
able to recommend to you an increase in 301 for that, and we hope to get it close to 4%.”
Two-thirds of the Prop 301 funds will be distributed to teachers throughout their paychecks, and the last third is reserved for the teachers’ performance pay at the end of the school year.
The Camp Verde Unified School District Governing Board voted on March 10 to direct staff to explore feasibility, scope and timing for a potential bond election this fall.
“I think we need to get on the ball now and be serious about it,” board member Steven Gresham said. “We haven’t tried this in a long time.”
The election board for the county will probably have a fee to get the bond onto the ballot in November, Board President Sharon Petrie said.
CVUSD Superintendent Steve Hicks said the fee will depend on how many propositions go onto the ballot.
There are about 8,000 voters in Camp Verde, Hicks said, and it may be a good idea to survey the county to see if there will be enough support to warrant paying the county the fee for the bond.
“In the last two overrides we tried to do here, we didn’t have much outside help.” Hicks said.
Part of the motion was to hire a consultant to see if a survey would be the right route.
“At this point we are not certain [of] any costs or whether it will make sense to survey the community,” Hicks later wrote. “We will be having discussions with a consultant soon to get some direction on the best path forward.”
He said the majority of the consultant’s cost would be the survey, but they would have other roles in getting the bond approved.
“We would employ the district, and then he would work with the PAC committee, should you elect to go out for an election,” Hicks said.
The consultant would be on it — along with community members, which could include staff and a board member or two — and help guide it, Hicks said.
Gresham said he wants conversations about a bond to begin now, so when the ballot comes out in November, people are ready for it.
“That’s why we need a good person, because I don’t ever recall an override or a bond passing in Camp Verde, ever,” board member Carol German said.
The board has enough time before the deadline to get the bond on the November ballot, but there’s only a few more monthly meetings before the members would have to decide.
“May is a good month,” German said. “June is even a good month, but not after June.”
Retiring to Return
Hicks, Board and Superintendent Assistant Mary Hudson along with one middle and one high school teacher are planning to retire this year. They’ll be back next year, though.
Hicks said if a worker retires, they can’t work for 365 days with the same company, so some will retire through the school district and start working for Education Services Inc. that works throughout the state.
“The school district says, ‘Hey, ESI, we’re looking for a board administrative assistant,’” Hicks said. “‘Do you happen to have any? Oh, by the way, we want her to be named Mary Hudson.’”
Hicks said he’ll get paid 75% of his salary, which saves the district 25%, but he can also begin collecting on his pension.
“When we reach our full retirement age, it makes sense to go into retirement and then to come back, because it saves the district money, but it also allows us to get our retirement, plus 75% of all we’re getting before. … It’s good for everybody. It’s like a win-win.”
He said there’s usually three or four people who will do it each year.
Recently, Camp Verde High School Principal Mark Showers did the same thing, Hicks said.
