The Fayette R-III Board of Education approved a raise to the base salary for teachers during its regular meeting on Wednesday, May 19.

The board was handed two proposals, a raise of $1,000 or a raise of $1,250. It chose the highest. This is in addition to a $350 step for the certified salary schedule, which, while not guaranteed, is regularly applied each year.

The additional $1,250 per year will increase the base pay to $33,000 per year. In total, the increase will cost the district an additional $161,000 per year.

Superintendent Jill Wiseman said the district could comfortably shoulder the increase. “It’s important that we stay at a competitive salary level with schools around us,” she said. 

The school district spent $4.47 million of its $6.62 million budget on salaries and benefits for certified and classified staff for the 2020-21 school year.

The increase puts Fayette’s base pay even with the Glasgow school district. The base pay in New Franklin is $31,750. Harrisburg currently has the highest base pay of $36,825 out of similarly sized districts in this area. Salisbury sits at $35,000.

In April 2019, voters approved a property tax increase of 72 cents per $100 of assessed valuation for the school district’s operating tax levy.

“I think that’s part of what that tax levy that passed was for, to attract and retain teachers,” said Board president Skip Vandelicht. 

“The only thing we have to think about is the sustainability. It appears that that is not going to be an issue right now, or in the near future,” said Vandelicht.

The raises go into effect starting in the 2021-22 school year.