Understanding+Personnel+Salaries+in+District+Budgets

During my interview with our Deputy Superintendent, Julie Spears, she told me that roughly 85% of our current budget goes toward personnel salaries. Salaries are usually a hot topic in school districts. Public perceptions many times are administrator salaries are too high and teacher salaries are too low. Many times community members do not understand the necessity to maintain competitive salaries in order to produce increased student learning. Today’s financial crisis in public education has put a burden on school districts that has never been seen before. Districts are scrambling to make budget cuts with minimal impact to instruction, and all educators are keeping their fingers crossed that their jobs are safe. What would be the positive and negative impact associated with a five percent salary increase for all personnel? The obvious positive of a five percent salary increase would be district morale. A raise usually signifies a job well done and financial stability in a district. However, if a 5 percent salary increase occurs, money must be taken away from other expenditures. The main areas negatively affected with a salary increase would be facility upgrades and instruction. Our district because of excellent planning the last 2 years did not have to lay off any teachers or offer furloughs. Everyone was frozen at their current salary, but no one received a pay cut. Feelings were mixed about the salary freeze, but the overall feeling was still pretty good considering the financial cuts many districts around us had to make. Everyone in our district just received a $500 salary adjustment in December. You talk about a morale booster! Unbelievable financial planning allowed this to happen, and the gains from the gesture will pay out big time in the Spring.