Knox County Schools pays almost 9% below market salaries. Leaders plan to fix it this year.

Knox County Schools employees make nearly 9% less than the market minimum, according to a yearlong review of pay by a private firm, and district administrators plan to start closing the gap this year.

KCS leaders will bring a pay increase proposal to the school board in April for a vote at its annual special budget meeting. The recommendation will ask for the pay raises to kick in July 1, the start of the next district budget.

The company that conducted the pay study, Florida-based Evergreen Solutions, is recommending the district raise the minimum pay for certified teachers to a little more than $47,000 annually, up from the current minimum of $44,800.

The increases, if approved, will put the district on a trajectory to meet a state law passed last year that requires paying all public school teachers at least $50,000 a year by the 2026-27 school year.

District administrators had commissioned the compensation study – at a cost of $123,500 in March 2023 – to guide future pay scales for the district.

"Our people are our greatest asset," Jennifer Hemmelgarn, Knox County Schools' assistant superintendent of business and talent, told the school board at its meeting March 4.

The minimum pay, for instance, for teachers at Oak Ridge schools is $50,000 a year, the study shows. At Maryville City Schools, the minimum is about $48,000 annually.

For certified teachers with a master's degree, the study recommends KCS raise its minimum pay of nearly $51,000 a year, compared to the current minimum of about $48,000.

To retain quality employees, those who stay longer would receive larger increases, said Kristen Fitzpatrick, a consultant for Evergreen Solutions.

The plan would cost taxpayers $39 million to implement, $28 million of which will be directed to teachers. District administrators will lay out how they recommend the increases are covered at the budget meeting in April.

Highlights from the pay study

The full study will be presented at the April budget meeting. Board members saw a presentation at the March 4 meeting that hit on the major findings.

• Nineteen peer districts participated in the market survey done for the salary study.

• Knox County Schools is on par with its peers with the benefits it offers as a percentage of the total compensation.

• The district contributes a higher percentage towards employees' retirement and the district's annual leave is higher than its peers.

• Over half of district employees participated in a survey that found that on a scale of 1 to 10, satisfaction regarding pay was a 3.9. Employees reported having to work multiple jobs due to low pay.

• About 30% of district employees earn more than 80% percent of their supervisor’s salary, thanks to an administrative supplement. Seventeen of these employees earn more than their supervisor. The study's recommendations ensure supervisors make more than those reporting to them, not including overtime for employees who are not supervisors.

Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at areena.arora@knoxnews.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AreenaArora.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County Schools will ask board to increase salaries in next budget