“We’re working our gut-level finest to make sure that we’re the district of selection by guaranteeing we’re compensating you appropriately,” Clayton Superintendent Anthony Smith mentioned throughout a latest listening to on the district’s 2024-25 finances. “We’re making inroads towards that.”
The pitch is the newest by the south metro Atlanta faculty system to supply extra aggressive salaries to lecturers and different help employees, who more and more are job hopping between districts for higher pay.
It’s the varsity system’s second proposal on employees salaries, after the Clayton Board of Schooling rejected an earlier finances package deal as a result of members didn’t suppose it was aggressive sufficient on pay.
“Everyone right now is spending out of their fund balance,” faculty board chairwoman Jessie Goree mentioned at a finances assembly in Might. “And we have to do one thing to be aggressive.”
Clayton will not be the primary to supply pay for good trainer attendance. The DeKalb County Faculty District gives incentives for lecturers who miss two days or fewer, and attendance pay has been provided or thought-about at school programs in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Texas.
However it has the potential to be an vital recruitment software for a district that has fewer tax {dollars} to match the pay of opponents, Clayton leaders mentioned. House values in Clayton are sometimes decrease than its extra prosperous friends, particularly on metro Atlanta’s northside. Which means Clayton doesn’t acquire as a lot in property taxes, a essential funding mechanism for faculties.
As an example, Clayton, which has virtually 53,000 college students, has a millage fee of 19.60 mills, and its 2025 finances anticipates accumulating about $11.3 million per each 1 mill, Bivins mentioned.
Compared, the 50,000-student Atlanta Public Faculties system, whereas having a barely larger millage fee at 20.50 mills, collects about $48.5 million per 1 mill.
“In order that they do have fairly a bit more cash than we do to spend,” she mentioned.
Along with good attendance pay, Clayton lecturers will obtain a $1,500 loyalty bonus after the start of the varsity 12 months in August; a $1,000 mid-year wage adjustment improve in January; and a $500 spring break appreciation incentive fee. That’s on prime of a $2,500 pay improve from the state and a further $500 from the county.
“The typical wage improve, relying on the place an worker falls on the wage scale, will likely be anyplace from 4% to eight% with all of the will increase to wage,” Bivins mentioned. “While you add the incentives to it, it’s anyplace from 10% to 14% relying on the place they fall on the wage schedule.”
Bus drivers and the district’s faculty diet groups will get a 4.1% pay improve in addition to the loyalty, spring break and attendance incentives.
The Clayton Board of Schooling is anticipated to vote on the package deal June 24. If permitted, the incentives will value the county a further $13.8 million.
Smith mentioned the incentives are a part of a much bigger push over time to spice up salaries and align Clayton’s compensation with its friends.
“We’d wish to chip away at this 12 months after 12 months after 12 months,” he mentioned.
