School Board Will Study Teacher Compensation

The Whitefish Bay School Board is responding to teacher compensation concerns by studying compensation levels at other schools.

The school district's current salary structure awards teachers' seniority and pursuit of higher education. That salary structure has been frozen for three years, ever since Act 10 took effect and state aid dropped dramatically.

To determine whether the existing salary structure should be changed, the School Board voted Wednesday night to form a compensation committee that analyzes how teachers from other school districts are compensated. 

Teacher salaries currently range from $36,000 to $78,000. Under the current salary structure, teachers at the bottom of the salary structure do not have a way to reach the salary of their more experienced colleagues. 

"We have teachers wondering how can they move up on a salary schedule, what is the salary schedule and how can they increase their salary over time," said Interim Superintendent Laura Myrah.

The compensation study will look at teachers' total compensation package, taking into consideration that some districts may offer higher salaries and lower benefits, while others offer lower salaries and higher benefits. The board will also research salary structures used by schools outside of Wisconsin. 

Overall, the study will look at how the district can best reward its teachers using the funds made available to the district.

"We've always been concerned with providing a high-quality, cost-effective education, so this is trying to strike a balance between the two and make sure we are doing both," said Shawn Yde, the district's director of business services.

The committee's scope is currently limited to teacher compensation, but it may look at the salary structure for non-teaching employees at a later date. Yde said the district is looking at teacher salaries first because teachers have the largest range of salaries. 

Board members emphasized they would like to periodically share the committee's progress with district staff and the community. It's possible teachers may be allowed to join the committee at a future date.