Transcript
Our third priority area in the strategic plan prioritizes the growth and retention of our employees and it represents the single largest increase in funding in my proposed budget at $53.3 million dollars, with one position being proposed in this area to support human resources processes. More details on this priority will be presented during our work session on February 5th.
There are several increases to employee compensation primarily related to negotiated agreements. The budget includes a placeholder of $32.6 million for labor agreements. It also includes $2.5 million dollars for more staff receiving National Board Certification pay. Additionally, the costs to provide our employees health insurance continue to escalate. Preliminary estimates based on the projections by our actuary indicate an increase of $18 million dollars. While these costs are associated with our existing service commitments, it is also critical to commit to our staff in order to retain them and successfully recruit a highly competent and diverse workforce.
A new position in our Department of Human Resources will serve in a cross-functional support role, assisting all Human Resources teams and helping to reduce the heavy processing workload currently handled by Specialists and Analysts so they may focus more on recruiting and retention, as well as providing additional customer service to existing and future staff.
We have also included funding for marketing to support our on-going efforts to recruit staff - particularly in those areas where we are seeing staff shortages - and funding to support streamlined processes for our overall recruitment and onboarding processes.
Sustained investment in our people is not optional; it is the foundation of a stable, thriving school system. When we prioritize staff growth, we strengthen our ability to attract top talent, keep exceptional employees in our classrooms and offices, and build the long‑term organizational health needed to deliver on every other priority in our plan.
Here is the addition of the increased funding proposed as part of priority 3. Again, more details on this priority will be presented during our work session on February 5th.