Knox County School leaders propose $39 million increase in district salaries

Knox County School (KCS) leaders are proposing a historic $39 million investment to increase the salaries of educators and school staff.The spending proposal follows a compensation study by Florida-based firm Evergreen Solutions that found that KCS employees make nearly 9 percent less than the market minimum. Evergreen Solutions recommended the district look at what it can afford and invest in salaries in an appropriate, effective, and efficient way across the district.If approved by school board members, the plan would place staff at market value.KCS Human Resource Operations Director Scott Bolton told board members Tuesday night that the district hopes this change will decrease vacancies, improve retention rates, and do what’s right by district employees.“Again, $39 million is a lot of money. It’s a lot of money, but it’s our opportunity to put the money where it needs to be in the efficient and effective way. And that means every person in KCS. There will not be a single person that makes less than what they’ve made before and by in large, the large majority of folks in Knox County Schools will see an improvement in their salary over the year,” said Bolton.The new proposed salary schedule will be a 21-step scale for all employees and will eliminate administrative and other supplement scales. The schedule includes educational stipends for degrees above a master’s or certifications related to job functions.Additionally, the plan would include retention bumps for teachers at five, ten, 15, 20 years of service and beyond. These retention bumps reflect increases of four times or more than other annual increases.The prospect of a $39 million investment is possible through an increase in state funding last year through the new Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) Act, allowing KSC to pay down the its debt and reduce spending this year.“As you know, it is a significant undertaking, we have nearly 9 thousand employees that would be transitioning to this new scale, and making sure we get it right would be very important and require some time. We do believe that we are prepared to do that and are excited about the possibilities that this could bring for both current employees in the district and future employees in the district,” said Business and Talent Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Hemmelgarn.The Knox County School Board is scheduled to vote on the salary increase during tomorrow’s meeting.