KPCW, June 17, 2024-Teachers, administrators and staff in the South Summit School District will all get a pay raise for the coming school year.
The South Summit Board of Education approved the increases last week and renewed contracts for top district leaders for another two years.
Both Superintendent Greg Maughn and District Business Administrator Adam Robinson will see a 4% increase in their salaries. Maughn will earn $188,167 plus benefits and a monthly $675 vehicle stipend. Robinson’s pay will increase to $157,203 plus benefits.
Raises for teachers and school staff will also be 4%. Maughn says the head custodian will see a bigger raise to bring his position up to the market rate.
“One of the items in our board strategic plan is to be in the top 10% as far as compensation packages,” Maughn said. “For South Summit, to attract someone from outside of the South Summit School District boundary, someone's driving through at least one if not two, or three or more school districts.”
The superintendent said hiring for the 2024-2025 school year has gone exceptionally well and that all teaching positions have been filled.
The school board voted to delay a discussion on building affordable housing for district employees until the July 11 meeting. The board has approved spending $500,000 in next year’s budget to begin to build the infrastructure for an affordable housing project on school district property.
The district has asked its attorneys to answer several deed restriction questions, including whether an employee who leaves education would be required to move.
Maughn says the proposal is to build between 11 and 13 units as a means of attracting and retaining staff, especially teachers.
“It is an investment. So, we take that really seriously, because what we're there for is to invest in kids,” he said. “And some may say that's not investing in kids. But I would also say investing in having the best teachers and, and best staff is investing in kids.”
According to Maughn, because there aren’t many examples of district-funded affordable housing, the board is taking it slow so that they can get it right.