MUSD board approves teacher raise

Maricopa’s certified teachers will receive a minimum $3,000 annual raise after a unanimous vote by the Maricopa Unified School District Board of Education in a special meeting Wednesday.

The board also approved raises for classified school workers who will receive a minimum $1.10 per hour raise.

Both teacher and non-teacher raises will include “steps” – a compensation system that weighs experience and education into a raise.

“Will this work for you?” asked board member Tim White of teachers in the audience. There were 20 to 30 teachers in attendance waiting to hear the board results.

“That depends on what other districts are providing their teachers,” said a woman in the audience. Although she said she was speaking for herself, she mentioned a teacher who is leaving to go to the Kyrene School District because she can’t afford childcare.

She suggested enticing good teachers who are planning to leave.
Another teacher suggested that this is a “nice jump.”

The board clarified that if the state legislature’s funding comes back at a higher rate than what the district is offering teachers, then they will add that to teachers’ salaries.

Superintendent Dr. John Flores said that this is a step in the right direction.

“We’ve got to move forward,” he said.

He said it’s good for today, and tomorrow they will look into other ways of getting teachers what they need.

“You can’t have reserves,” Flores said. People were misusing funds in the past, and that’s why the state funds school districts the way they do today.

He said that creating a statewide teacher minimum salary would eliminate this problem. Flores added that areas that do not have qualified teachers could then offer incentives to bring in qualified teachers.

The raise increase was presented by board president Jim Chaston and seconded by White.

Board member Shannon Amos was not at the meeting.

An accounting of special funds that was on the agenda was moved to the next school board meeting.