FAYETTEVILLE — The School District on Thursday became the first in the state to commit to paying its teachers a minimum salary of $50,000, effective July 1.
The School Board unanimously approved new, increased salary schedules for all employees for the 2022-23 school year.
Teachers and other certified employees will get a 5% raise next year. Classified staff members — such as bus drivers, mechanics and food service workers — will receive a $1.50-per-hour increase.
The minimum teacher salary this year is $47,450. It will be $50,000 under next year’s salary schedule.
“It will help a lot with recruitment,” said Glenda Sullins, director of finance and business services.
Nika Waitsman, board president, said the district has about 29 job openings right now. She mentioned transportation, nutrition and maintenance as departments particularly in need of workers and called for anyone with interest to apply.
“Like everybody in the world right now, we’re struggling to fill some positions,” Waitsman said. “So we’d love to have you take a look at what those openings are.”
With the raises, total money spent on salaries and benefits is projected to increase about $3.5 million — from $93.7 million this year to $97.3 million next year, according to a presentation Sullins gave the board last month.
Fayetteville currently ranks third in the state in minimum teacher salary behind the Bentonville ($47,799) and Springdale ($48,782) school districts. Neither of those two districts have decided what their salary schedules will be next school year.
Sullins acknowledged the competitiveness of other local school districts in terms of pay and said that it likely won’t be long before Fayetteville is looking at adjusting its salary schedules again to keep up.
Teacher pay is based on a combination of a teacher’s years of experience and level of education. A teacher with a master’s degree and 30 years of experience, for example, would earn $77,161 under next year’s salary schedule.
Justin Eichmann, a board member, complimented administrators for putting the district in a position where it’s able to afford the salary increases and remain competitive with other local districts.
In other news from Thursday’s board meeting, Superintendent John L Colbert announced his plan to retire in June 2023, at the end of next school year.
Colbert, 67, became acting superintendent in April 2018 when then-superintendent Matthew Wendt took a leave of absence. A district employee accused Wendt of sexual harassment, an allegation that led the School Board to fire him two months later. The board soon promoted Colbert to the district’s top job.
Colbert has worked in education for 46 years, including 43 with Fayetteville. He’s the first district staff member to rise through the ranks from teacher to principal to assistant superintendent to superintendent, according to a district news release.
“I was truly given an opportunity to realize a dream,” Colbert said. “Leading the district where I spent my career and raised my family is truly a blessing. Together we have accomplished great things.”
Waitsman praised Colbert for his leadership.
“He has been an unwavering voice of reason and compassion throughout the covid-19 pandemic, always choosing to do what is best for the health and safety of our students and staff,” Waitsman said. “I am personally grateful to have worked alongside him during my tenure as president of the board.”
Colbert is Fayetteville’s 12th superintendent of schools and fourth in the last decade. He’s also the first Black superintendent in the district’s history; in addition, he was the district’s first Black special-education teacher and first Black principal.
His salary this school year is $226,400, according to district financial documents.
Dave Perozek can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWADaveP.
Minimum teacher salaries
School district^2021-22^2022-23
Bentonville^$47,799^undetermined
Fayetteville^$47,450^$50,000
Rogers^$47,250^undetermined
Springdale^$48,782^undetermined