For the second straight year, teachers in USD 232 will see an average salary increase of more than 6% for the coming school year.
At its June meeting, the USD 232 Board of Education unanimously voted 7-0 to to approve pay rate increases across the board. That vote came after an agreement was met between the district and De Soto Teachers’ Association.
The raises districtwide average out to about 6.32%, but an employee’s actual percent raise may be greater or lower than that, depending on where that employee sits on the district’s pay schedule.
Starting base pay will be going up for staff
- The new base pay for certified classroom teachers in USD 232 will increase from $47,000 to $49,628 for the coming 2024-25 school year.
- Combined with increases to benefits and coaching or supplemental position pay, the school district will pay educators about $2.7 million more this coming school year, the district says.
- The pay increase is similar to the more than 6% raise the school board approved in 2023. In 2022, the approved raise was an average of 3.4%.
Special education teachers will receive additional stipend
- In order to hire and retain special education teachers, the district will give fully certified SPED teachers an annual $1,500 stipend. Provisionally licensed SPED teachers — that is, those teachers working towards full certification — will receive an annual $750 stipend.
- Other new agreements in the contract include new language that allows the district to collect liquidated damages from $500 to a maximum of $2,500 for certified employees who breach their contract by resigning midyear. The district would be able to waive the liquidated damages for “unforeseeable circumstances.”
- One agreement that will remain the same: Tuition reimbursement. After nearly doubling its annual tuition reimbursement stipend in 2023, bringing it up to $500 for employees continuing their education, both sides agreed to keep that provision the way it is for next year.
Classified staff will also get raises
- Classified staff in USD 232, such as paraprofessionals and nutrition workers, will also receive a roughly 6% raise on average for the coming school year.
- Nutrition employees will receive an additional 50 cents per hour, raising their starting pay to $15 per hour.
- Paraprofessionals will have a $15 to $16 starting base pay. Existing paraprofessionals will get a 5% increase, plus an additional 50 cents per hour.
- “We’re really excited to be able to share for the first time ever that we will not have any starting position in our district under $15 per hour any longer,” Carrie Handy, director of human resources for elementary personnel, said at the meeting. “We’re really proud of that as a district and our goal is always to get that as high as we can and so no employee group will be starting under that.”
The school board is pleased with the agreement
At the meeting, school board president Ashley Spaulding praised both the district’s administration and the De Soto Teachers’ Association for reaching an agreement in just two meetings.
“I’m particularly excited about our salary increase to retain the fantastic staff that we already have,” she said. “We already know that we’re an amazing district and the best district to be in. But that will continue to help us be competitive.”
Assistant superintendent Alvie Cater also expressed satisfaction with both sides working together to reach an agreement.
“We are able to address a variety of matters through mutual respect and understanding, which is why we reached agreement so quickly,” he wrote in an e-mail to the Johnson County Post. “The compensation package … will help with recruitment and retention efforts. We sincerely appreciate the support of our community and for the Kansas Legislature in providing resources to help make this happen.”
Go deeper: Take a full look at the teacher raises and pay schedules
