KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Knox County Board of Education voted Thursday to give all employees their largest pay raise ever.
Knox County Schools is investing $41 million in employee compensation with the goal of bringing each employee's salary closer to market value. Not only will it make KCS more competitive, but it will also improve classroom morale.
“We're celebrating, we're excited, we're excited about the possibilities, we're excited about the direction and the trajectory,” said Paula Hancock, president of the Knox County Educators Association.
The Knox County Board of Education has voted to approve a $683.7 million budget that includes historic raises for all employees. Mr Hancock said the decision was monumental.
“If you're hurting teachers, you're hurting students. We need to go beyond that and do what's best for everyone involved.” Hancock. “So this is just a win-win for Knox County Schools and, frankly, Knox County.”
According to KCS Director Susan Horne, this was exactly what they had in mind.
“I believe a budget tells the story of an organization, so I hope this budget tells employees and families how important the people who work in this business are,” she said. said.
As part of the budget planning, third-party firm Evergreen Solutions recommended a market value salary.
“We think this is a huge advantage as we seek to recruit and retain great teachers and great staff across the organization,” Horn said. Ta.
This also eliminates what Mr Hancock calls the teacher pay penalty, the difference in teachers' pay compared to other university graduates.
“If we can close this gap, we will give educators and teachers the opportunity to be trained, qualified and earn a living doing what they enjoy. We need to make sure we evaluate it,” Hancock said.
She also added that many of the teachers she works with work part-time jobs and this pay increase will benefit teachers and students by allowing them to focus solely on teaching.
The budget also includes increased health benefits and investments in building foundational skills, college readiness, career enhancement, and student success. The Knox County Commission must approve the budget before it can go into effect.