Rogers board gives unanimous assent to teacher pay hikes
ROGERS — The School Board on Tuesday unanimously approved a salary schedule providing a $2,000 raise and an $800 step increase for certified teachers for the 2023-24 school year.
Superintendent Jeff Perry said the district is contemplating a $1,000 bonus for teachers in the fall but is waiting to see what state funding and the district’s enrollment numbers will be before moving forward with that idea.
The $2,000 raises are part of the LEARNS Act, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ signature legislation that overhauled the state’s education system and increased the state’s minimum teacher salary to $50,000. Minimum teacher pay in the Rogers School District this school year is $48,000.
“Every one of the teachers we have this year and the teachers that come on board with us are going to get an $800 step, a $2,000 raise, that’s on the salary schedule, and hopefully that $1,000 bonus as we go into next year,” said Jake Haak, the district’s chief financial officer.
The district’s classified employees will get a similar percentage on raises, Haak said.
“We want to give our people everything we can, but we want to be responsible in doing it,” Perry said.
Step one of the 2023-24 salary schedule presented by the district starts at $50,000 for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree. With the same qualifications, that teacher would be paid $50,816 in their second year and $51,633 in their third year with similar increases continuing for a total of 23 steps, according to the the district’s information.
A teacher’s pay depends on their education and years of experience. The schedule includes up to 31 steps and tops out with a salary of $79,355 for an educator with a doctorate.
The raises for certified and classified staff in 2023-24 will cost the district about $4.4 million, Haak said. The LEARNS Act provides $2.8 million of that cost, Haak said. The rest will be derived from state foundation funding on a per-pupil basis as well as assessed values going into next year, Haak said.