Stafford schools proposes using $10 million for teacher pay raises

Stafford County is considering giving pay raises to teachers and staff.

The county School Board met Tuesday and heard a presentation from Superintendent Dr. Scott Kizner’s the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2021-22. If approved by the School Board, the schools’ budget will increase 5.25% by $16.9 million, bringing the total funding to $340 million.

About $7.5 million comes from state revenue which also includes state sales tax.

According to a press release, more than 75% of the budget will go to instruction. A total of $10 million will bs be used to give teachers and support staff a minimum 5% raise.

Teachers may get as high as a 9.4% raise in pay while an average raise has been calculated at 7.2%, officials said. Officials hope the salary increases will do more to offset the school division’s employee turnover rate. For years Stafford had been unable to retain teachers mainly due to higher-paying teaching positions in neighboring counties such as Prince William and Spotsylvania.

The turnover rate has been one of the more significant issues that Stafford County schools have attempted to address. School officials discussed the matter with Senator Tim Kaine back in 2019.

During the presentation, Kizner said the turnover rate has actually declined in the last three years. Kizner expressed hope that the trend would continue as the county hopes to attract more teachers to the area.

The funds would also allow for the creation of 54 new positions, which will include 18 teachers, six paraprofessionals, two online learning coordinators, two work-based learning coordinators, and other support staff.

Stafford County is projecting 29,700 students to be enrolled in its schools in the fiscal year 2022.

“We are an extremely diverse school division. We must have the right teachers in the right places and provide our students with equitable access to programs and learning,” stated Kizner in the press release. “Adding these positions will address equity, learning gaps, opportunities, and growth for all students.”