Employee Compensation, Teacher Retention and Student Support

 

Just the Facts - Superintendent’s Recommended FY 2022 Budget 

 

Three specific focus areas of the Hampton City Schools (HCS) 2020 Strategic Plan became a driving force during the development of the FY 2022 budget: 1) Maximize Every Child’s Learning, 2) Create Safe, Nurturing Environments, and 3) Attract, Develop and Retain Exceptional Staff.

 

To this end, the FY 2022 recommended budget includes a five percent (5%) compensation increase for all full-time staff as well as the majority of part-time positions with no increase to the employee portion of healthcare premiums. 

 

The recommended budget also includes restoring all budget initiatives that were suspended in the FY 2021 budget which includes adjustments to the teacher salary scale and other support staff positions and investing in additional instructional personnel (e.g., teachers, school counselors, psychologists, school social workers) to meet the academic as well as the social and emotional needs of our young people.

 

Additionally, the recommended budget includes the increase of minimum wage to $11.00.

 

The Superintendent’s Recommended FY 2022 Budget recognizes the importance of the effective and efficient management of fiscal resources in achieving the division’s strategic plan.

Q: How is the school system funded?

A: Sixty-four percent (64%) of the recommended budget comes from state funds and state sales tax. State funds (and state sales tax) are received through the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). Two main budget drivers for state funding are the Local Composite Index (a state measure to determine a locality's ability to fund education costs) and Average Daily Membership (average student enrollment as of March 31).

Thirty-four percent (34%) of the proposed operating budget comes from local funds from the city of Hampton. The city allocates funding to the school division using a funding formula in which 61.83% of residential related taxes (i.e., real estate, personal property, utility taxes) are provided to Hampton City Schools.

The remaining two percent (2%) of the proposed operating budget comes from federal and miscellaneous funds. Federal funds come from Federal Impact Aid and the JROTC program. Miscellaneous funds come from various sources (e.g., Medicaid Reimbursements, cell towers, indirect cost). 

Q: What are the priorities that drove the development of the FY 2022 budget?

A: The School Board identified competitive compensation, teacher retention, Academies of Hampton, facility and capital improvements, school safety, increasing student achievement, and reducing class sizes as priorities for this budget cycle.   

Q: The General Assembly’s proposed budget includes a 5% raise. Will I receive a 5% raise?

A: The General Assembly’s proposed budget includes a five percent (5%) raise for FY 2022 (beginning July 1, 2021) for Standards of Quality (SOQ) funded teachers and support staff. It is important to note that the SOQ are determined by the Virginia Department of Education and serve as a set of mandatory guidelines for staffing that all school divisions must follow to provide a minimum level of education services. School divisions (including ours) provide students with more than just the minimum educational experience. This requires additional teachers and staff above the minimum standards. SOQ funded positions represent roughly 62.5% of HCS positions. That leaves 37.5% of HCS positions not covered by the state supplement. All HCS teachers and staff are essential to the success of our school division and it is important to offer the same salary increase to all positions (SOQ funded positions and non-SOQ funded positions). Therefore, Hampton City Schools is proposing a five (5%) raise for FY 2022 (beginning July 1, 2021) for all full-time employees and the majority of our part-time employees. For every one percent (1%) raise provided to employees, it costs HCS $1.45 million. The impact to the budget will cost Hampton City Schools $7.3 million.

  

Q: Does the FY 2022 recommended budget include the FY 2021 budget initiatives that were suspended due to pandemic?

A: Yes. FY 2021 budget initiatives that were suspended due to pandemic are included in the FY 2022 budget. These initiatives included:

• Increasing minimum wage 

• Adding teacher and support staff market adjustments 

• Increasing coaching and instructional supplements by 12% 

• Adding 1 part-time assistant principal 

• Adding 1 school psychologist 

• Adding 2 school social workers 

• Adding 1 school security officer 

• Implementing the School Meals Expansion Program

Q: How will the recommended budget impact employee salaries?

A: The budget includes a five percent (5%) salary increase for full and part-time employees. This does not include temporary positions, as well as some part-time teaching positions. 

Additionally, the FY 2022 budget includes the restoration of teacher salary scale adjustments and support staff market adjustments that were temporarily suspended in FY 2021. The budget also includes the increase of the minimum wage to $11.00 while maintaining the difference between hourly pay scales for 44 hourly employee groups based on years or experience. The total investment is $3.86 million and is outlined below.

• $1.5 million for teacher scale adjustments - add $500 to steps 1-14 and $1,000 to steps 15-29 and maintain a 30 step teacher scale (in addition to the employee raise)

• $0.5 million to increase school bus driver, bus attendant, bus lot attendant, bus dispatcher, and transportation shop attendant pay by $2 per hour (in addition to the employee raise)

• $0.3 million to increase secretary, school security officer, and school finance officer pay by $1 per hour (in addition to the employee raise)

• $0.1 million to increase in-school suspension assistant, school information processing assistant, groundskeeper, digital press operator, records technician, library processing clerk, warehouse delivery technician, health clerk, library technician, finisher, messenger, office assistant, courier, application processing specialist, account clerk III, and cafeteria monitor pay between $0.27 and $2.33 per hour (in addition to the employee raise) 

• $0.1 million to increase technology specialist, apprentice, and auto mechanic pay by $1.50 per hour (in addition to the employee raise)

• $0.5 million to increase instructional assistant, health/physical education clerk, library assistant, record clerk, and transportation assistant pay by $1.37 per hour (in addition to the employee raise)

• $0.3 million to increase school cafeteria staff pay between $1.62 and $2.59 per hour (in addition to the employee raise) - Fund 51

• $0.1 million to increase school cafeteria manager pay by $2 per hour (in addition to the employee raise) - Fund 51

• $0.3 million to increase instructional coach, school-based administrator, and other administrator pay to address compression (in addition to employee raise)

• $0.06 million to increase school nurse annual pay by $1,500 (in addition to the employee raise)

• $0.1 million to provide a 12% increase to coaching and instructional supplements

The Proposed FY 2022 Compensation Plan can be found in FY 2022 Proposed Budget Book page 162.

Q: Will my health insurance premiums change next year?

A: No. Despite a projected increase in healthcare costs of 3.48%, employee healthcare premiums will not increase for FY 2022. Hampton City Schools will absorb all increases in healthcare costs for FY 2022 as it was important for us to provide a five percent (5%) unencumbered raise. The impact to the budget will cost Hampton City Schools $0.5 million.

Q: What is the recommended budget for the Academies of Hampton (AoH)?

A: The total budget for the Academies of Hampton is $1.2 million and it includes a projected contribution of $380,00 from the city. These funds from the city will assist in our continued focus to transform our learning spaces and provide the necessary equipment to support teaching and learning.

Q: Are there position changes planned for the FY 2022 Budget? 

A: Yes. The FY 2022 budget includes a net decrease of 24 positions (14 teacher and specialist positions were transferred from Fund 60 Reimbursable Projects to Fund 50 School Operating Fund, 37 instructional assistant positions were transferred from Fund 50 to Fund 60, 1 Tier II intervention support position was transformed from a temporary position to a full time position, 11 vacant positions were reduced in the budget, 2 full-time and 1 part-time teacher were added to the budget, 1 restorative counselor and 5 school counselors were added to the budget). See complete list of position changes in the FY 2022 Proposed Budget Book page 22.

Q: Are there changes to the work calendar for the FY 2022 Budget?

A: Yes. The proposed budget includes changing the digital learning specialists schedule from 11 months to 12 months beginning with the 2021-2022 school year. 

Q: Is there a reduction in the number of PreK slots for HCS next year?

A: No. The Virginia Department of Education contributes funding under the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) program to provide educational services for At-Risk four-year-olds. State funding is based on a funding formula, which in part is based on the number of slots given to each school division by the state. For FY 2021, HCS was allocated 635 slots. For FY 2022, HCS will be allocated 637 slots. 

Q: Were any instructional programs eliminated in the FY 2022 budget? 

A: No. There were no instructional programs eliminated in the FY 2022 budget.

Q: Are there other reductions in the FY 2022 Budget?

A: Yes. The FY 2022 budget includes $1.9 million of attrition savings based on projected reductions in payroll costs due to retirements, resignations, and the length of time to fill vacant positions during the year.  

Q: How can I find out more information on the proposed budget?

A:  The following link is to the FY 2022 recommended budget presented on March 3, 2021 - March 3rd FY 2022 Budget Presentation.  

The following link is to the update on the FY 2022 recommended budget presented on March 17, 2021- March 17th Update FY 2022 Budget Presentation. 

Q: What are the next steps for the recommended budget?

A: The General Assembly will finalize the state budget. We will then review our FY 2022 Budget and make changes as needed. If there are any adjustments to the budget, these will be presented during future School Board meetings. On March 10 and March 17, the School Board will hold Public Hearings on the FY 2022 Budget. The School Board is scheduled to vote on the FY 2022 Proposed Budget on March 24. Once approved, the FY 2022 Budget will be submitted to the city for approval.