The following is a detailed analysis of the current Western School District teacher contract. The district employs 180 teachers and enrolls 2,900 students. Of its $22 million operating
budget, 90 percent goes toward employee compensation.
Table of Contents:
Salary Schedule
Fringe Benefits
Pension and Retirement Benefits
Bonus Pay for Additional Duties or Certification
Leave/Sick Time
Work Schedule/Environment
Extra Curricular Activities Compensation
Salary Schedule
- Salaries are determined
strictly by "steps," which use a matrix of years experience and graduate
credit hours and degrees.
- There are 11 "steps" on the
schedule, so teachers get automatic pay raises (3-5 percent) for their
first 11 years in the district.
- Reaching the 11th and
final step on pay schedule yields an automatic 10 percent pay raise.
- In addition to step
increases, the entire salary schedule increases by 1.5 percent each year.
- 50 percent of teachers
have graduate degrees and 70 percent have more than 5 years experience,
meaning the vast majority of teachers' base salary is between $48,802 and
$70,133.
- The Michigan
Department of Education reported the average teacher salary in Western School District in 2007-08 was $53,396.
Fringe Benefits
- District pays $17,300
for teacher health insurance premiums (teachers contribute nothing to the
cost of the premium).
- The average family premium
plan in Michigan
costs $11,300.
- Teachers get two health insurance options:
- Plan A: MESSA Choices II
with $100/$200 deductible and $10/$20 RX card, $20 office co-pay, $20,000
life insurance, long-term disability, dental, vision
- Plan B: $2,400 annual cash-in-lieu
payment, $30,000 life insurance, long-term disability, dental, vision
Pension and Retirement Benefits
- Every teacher participates
in the state-run Michigan Public
School Employee Retirement System, a defined-benefit lifetime pension
system
- Pension
calculation: highest 3-year average compensation X 1.5 percent X years
of service
- Retirement eligibility: 30
years of service at age 46 or 15 years of service at age 55
- Teacher contribution: 5.4 percent of salary
- After 55, subsidized
medical, dental and vision insurance for life (employees never contribute
more than 18 percent of premiums)
- Annual pension based on 30
years experience in Western
School District with
base salary of $67,585 (final M.A. step): $30,413.25
Bonus Pay for Additional Duties or Certifications
- Individual Teacher School
Improvement Program (participation limited to two years):
- 15-20 years experience: $6,900-$7,700
- 21-25 years experience: $8,800-$9,800
- 26+ years experience: $10,700-$11,900
- Department chairpersons: $400-$5,000 (varies by size of department and experience)
- Mentor Teachers: $2,000-$2,500
- $12.00 per student per day for any student (max of two) above the maximum class size (28)
- One day's compensation for having more than 150 student contacts per day
- Adult education: $30.74-$48.44/hr
- Media Specialists: $1,400-$2,200
- Temporary substitution: 1/5 of substitute teacher pay per class period
- $65 annual protective clothing stipend for art, kindergarten, home economics, science and shop teachers
- $100 annual shoe stipend for shop teachers
- $250 reimbursement for lost or damaged personal property
- 32 cents per mile for travel between school buildings
Leave/Sick Time
- 3 sick days per marking period, 12 for the year
- Teachers may also draw from district's sick bank of more than 500 days
- Maximum sick day
accumulation: 90
- 2 professional days
- Teachers with less than
three years experience get a minimum of 15 days for professional
development
- Compensated if not taken
during school day
- 1 year for medical
purposes (insurance paid for 4 months)
- 2 years for childcare
- 1 year for graduate school
- 1 year sabbatical for
tenured teachers at half salary and full benefits
- Unions get 20 days
cumulatively to use teachers for union business
Work Schedule/Environment
- Required number of work days: 185 (180 teaching days)
- Contract day: 7 hours, 10 minutes
- Maximum teaching time:
- High school: 6 hours, 52 minutes
- Middle school: 6 hours, 48 minutes
- Hours per work year: 1,326
- U.S. average hours per work year: 1,792
- Uninterrupted lunch period: 25 minutes
Extra Curricular Activities Compensation
- Games Supervisor: $12,000-$15,000 (may be divided amongst several staff)
- One supervisor for each of the 3 sports seasons
- Coaching (based on years of experience)
- Head football and boys basketball: $5,600-$7,100
- Assistants: $2,000-$4,600 (3-4 in each sport)
- Head wrestling and girls'
basketball: $5,200-$6,600
- Assistants: $2,000-$4,600 (2-3 in each sport)
- Head gymnastics and volleyball: $4,400-$6,100
- Assistants: $2,000-$4,600 (2-3 in each sport)
- Head track, cross country and boys soccer: $4,000-$5,100
- Assistants: $2,000-$3,500 (1-2 in each sport)
- Head baseball, softball, girls soccer: $3,400-$4,600
- Assistants: $2,400-$3,100 (1 in each sport)
- Head golf, cheerleading, tennis: $2,800-$3,600
- Assistants: $1,600-$2,500 (1-2 in each sport)
- Music and Fine Arts (based on years of experience)
- Choir: $4,000-$5,100
- High school band: $3,600-$4,600
- Musical (2 positions): $1,800-$2,300
- Play and jazz band: $1,600-$2,000
- Middle school music: $1,200-$1,500
- Flags: $1,200-$1,500
- Elementary musical: $1,200-$1,500
- Elementary musical assistant: $1,000-$1,300
- Marching band: $800-$1,000
- Middle school vocals: $800-$1,000
- One-act play: $800-$1,000
- Elementary music: $400-$500
- Piano accompanists: $10/hr
- Miscellaneous
- Debate: $4,400-$5,600 (assistant: $2,600-$3,300)
- Yearbook advisor (2 positions): $3,200-$4,100
- Strength and conditioning: $3,200-$4,100
- Drivers education supervisor: $1,200-$1,900
- $28.75-$45.30/hr for drivers education (based on experience)
- Forensics: $2,800-$3,500 (assistant: $1,400-$1,800)
- Class advisors (2 for each class): $400-$1,500
- Student council: $1,000-$1,300
- Intramurals (3 positions): $800-$1,000
- National Honor Society: $800-$1,000
- Reading consultant: $800-$1,000
- Academic games: $400-$500
- Literary magazine: $400-$500
- Clubs: $400-$500
