Nashville teachers get new pay schedule and more money
Metro Nashville Public Schools unveiled the details of its new teacher pay scale on Tuesday after years of having a flat pay for teachers with less than 5 years of experience.
The changes create a tier system for teachers as they progress along their careers with Metro Schools. It will also give a boost to teachers with five to 10 years of experience.
“By far, teachers have the most direct impact on individual student success of all the employees in a school system," said Shawn Joseph, Metro Schools director. "In order to achieve excellence by design in every classroom every day, we have to have the best and the brightest educators. While culture and leadership also play important roles in teacher recruitment and retention, competitive salaries are absolutely essential."
Nashville Metro Schools plans fixes in teacher pay
Many had complained about the flat pay schedule that stemmed from boosting pay for first-year teachers about five years ago, and the district requested and received an extra $2.3 million in its 2016-17 operating budget for salary increase. The district spent about $10 million total to fix pay.
The changes are competitive with the regional market, according to the district. The new pay scale means first-year teachers with a bachelor's degree will make $42,100 a year while fifth-year teachers will make $44,750 a year. The change also means teachers in their 10th year of service will make $47,000 a year.
The district is operating on a $843.3 million budget during the 2016-17 school year, which represents about a $33 million increase from 2015-16 — an almost 4 percent increase. The new 2016-17 fiscal year began on July 1.
“I am pleased that our Board prioritized increasing teacher pay in this year’s budget, and I am grateful to Mayor Megan Barry and the Metro Council for funding the request," Joseph said.
Reach Jason Gonzales at 615-259-8047 and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.
Nashville schools budget has $9 million less in support from Metro