The Kenton County Board of Education approved a 5% pay increase for all certified substitute and salary employees on Monday.
“Annual Review of the 2024 Certified Salary Schedules reveals KCSD remains in the top five school districts in Kentucky,” reads the approved contract. “The district is fortunate to offer compensation that ranks among the best in the region and state as the labor market tightens.”
There have been discussions of educational funding in Kentucky after being ranked 41st in the national average for teacher pay and Gov. Andy Beshear’s continuous efforts to revise the education budget.
Beshear’s “education first” budget proposal includes a $400 million increase in education spending over the next biennium.
Currently, Kentucky uses the “SEEK” formula to fund education, which centers around a base amount of funding per pupil set by the General Assembly during budget years. Right now, base funding sits at $4,200.
With the SEEK formula, local superintendents and school boards determine salary rates for educators. Therefore, the Kenton County Board of Education has decided to allocate more pay for educators to keep up with inflation.
After the item was passed, board of education member Shannon Herald said, “This is well deserved. I am glad we can do this.”
Kenton County School District Superintendent Henry Webb said, “We’ve met with the Kenton County Education Association and have had wonderful conversations, and we believe this will keep us competitive in the state and the region. We will also compete with businesses and industry in the region.”
Several teachers spoke at the meeting to express gratitude towards the Kenton County School board for their continued support for their educators.
“It is a precarious time in education, groups are fighting with their school boards, and there are budget cuts and money issues. We are so blessed that we don’t have that here. Thank you for the continued collaboration and partnership,” said Leann Lewis, a ninth-grade teacher at Simon Kenton High School, who also serves as the president of the local education association.
Laura Schneider, a humanities teacher at Simon Kenton High School, also expressed her gratitude to the board. “I have been teaching now for forty years. Thirty-seven of those years have been at the Kenton County School District. I love being in this district. The last few years, working with Dr. Webb and this current school board have been the most amazing time in my career, so much so that I’m not going to retire,” said Schneider.
Sally Freed, the PE teacher at River Ridge Elementary, recognizes the transparency and fairness the current Kenton County School Board offers to educators. “We know what’s going on in the district,” said Freed. “They appreciate us, bottom line.”