CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Local teachers and support staff could get a 5% mid-year pay raise under a proposal shared with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board Tuesday night.

Under the plan presented by CMCSS Chief Financial Officer Chris Reneau, the district would increase its base teacher and support staff salary schedules by 5%, using $7.3 million from its fund balance to cover the raises.

The idea drew immediate support from School Board members Charlie Patterson and Aron Maberry.

“Increased salaries are very important, and it’s been helping with their retention,” Patterson said. “We have our feet on something that has needed to be done and will need to continue to be done based on the competition of being able to retain employees.”

Making salaries more competitive

Reneau said the raises mirror what’s being done locally by other agencies.

“This does align with what the county and the city is doing as well, so it puts us in a better position to attract and retain top talented individuals,” Reneau said.

He said it will put CMCSS pay ahead of what teachers and staff are making in most surrounding counties.

“It’s going to take our starting teacher salary from $41,961 to $44,000. That’s just starting, and then again it goes across all grades and all levels,” he said.

Minimum permanent employee pay will increase to $14.61 per hour.

“I’m excited that we’ll be able to give our team members a minimum of 9% (pay increase) in less than six months, which is a big deal,” Reneau said. He was referring to 2% cost-of-living adjustments, step increases that are usually around 2% and market analysis increases that were approved for this school year.

The 5% increases will come from existing CMCSS funds and will not require any additional money, according to schools spokesperson Anthony Johnson.

“Due to the favorable local economy and fiscal planning for this year’s budget, CMCSS proposes utilizing monies in the fund balance to implement this unique mid-year increase to employee salaries and benefits,” Johnson told Clarksville Now.

What’s next

The School Board will vote on the budget amendment at its next meeting, Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m. The Montgomery County Commission will then need to approve the measure at its December meeting. If it’s approved, it will go into effect in January.

“My team worked really hard to get this analysis performed, and we’re anxiously waiting to execute it,” Reneau told the board. “This is just one step on a journey that we’re going to continue to evaluate to see what we can get to take care of our team members.”

“I like your journey,” Patterson said.

That journey has a tangible path, according to a memo sent Wednesday morning to CMCSS teachers. CMCSS leaders have set the following goals for the 2023-24 budget:

  • Increase the entire certified pay scale so that the starting teacher salary (bachelor’s with 0 years of experience) is above $46,000, which is three years ahead of the state’s goal to meet that benchmark.
  • Increase the classified pay scale and implement market adjustments so that no classified employee makes below $15 an hour, which is more than double Tennessee’s minimum wage.
  • Increase the substitute pay scale so that no substitute makes under $15 an hour.

For information about local teaching and staff jobs, go to the CMCSS employment website.