OKC School Board approves central office pay increases

Oklahoma City School Board members reversed course Thursday, unanimously approving $343,000 in retroactive pay increases for central office workers.

Under a revised proposal, 220 central office staff and select operations workers, including members of Superintendent Aurora Lora’s cabinet, will receive $1,200 each for 2016-17.

Another $1,200 will be added to each employee’s base salary for the 2017-18 school year at an additional cost to the district of $343,000.

Eligible workers will receive the retroactive increases in a single payment by June 30, officials said.

Additionally, each employee’s contract will be shortened by three days during the second week of spring break, when all administrative offices will be closed.

“This proposal is a flat rate as opposed to a percentage increase, so it benefits everybody equally, as opposed to disproportionately affecting people with larger salaries,” board member Carrie Copernoll Jacobs said.

On Monday night, the panel rejected a 3.25 percent increase for central office workers, regardless of pay.

Member Mark Mann voted

against the first proposal because he said it wasn’t fair to employees who are paid between $28,300 and $160,000 annually.

“I think this is more equitable, it addresses some of the folks on the lower end of the pay scale downtown, gives them a little bit bigger percentage,” Mann said. “It sends the message that we value all of our employees.”

The latest increases, combined with retroactive increases approved Monday night for more than 4,000 teachers, administrators and support staff, will cost the district $2.9 million — 75 percent of which will come from the district’s general fund.

A combination of funds will cover the rest, officials said.

Teachers, principals and assistant principals received one-time step increases while support staff received an hourly pay raise of 25 cents. The agreements with unions representing the three groups cover the recently concluded 2016-17 school year.

Lora said teachers and principals should have received the increases sooner than they did.

“Because we really did not know how bad the budget was going to get, we told the unions, ‘Let us wait until the end just to make sure that we’ve got a enough money to get through this school year before we give people that step increase,’” she said.

“The good news is we budgeted appropriately, we got through the revenue failures and the money that we had set aside for those steps is still there, so we’re giving them out.”

Lora was out of town and did not attend Thursday’s special meeting.

She said central office employees have gone two years without a raise and many assumed additional workloads after the district eliminated more than 40 positions in 2016 as part of $30 million in budget cuts.

“Please know that I value your contributions and appreciate your dedication to the district, especially during such difficult circumstances,” Lora stated in an email to central office staff prior to the vote. “Your loyalty to OKCPS and our students is truly what makes this such a special place to work,” she said.