LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Teachers and staff at Jefferson County Public Schools will receive a 4% pay raise next school year.
Aletha Fields, who is an academic instructional coach at Iroquois High School, has been in education for 24 years and acknowledged the many hurdles brought to Kentucky classrooms.
She tells Spectrum News 1,"For some, this has been a shift that has worn out the best of them in many cases and its not a character fault, it’s not a pointing of fingers, but this has been unreal on levels of epic proportion."
Those teaching our next generation will soon get larger paychecks, including Fields.
During a news conference on Friday, JCPS and the Jefferson County Teachers Association announced Louisville educators will receive a 4% raise as part of a tentative agreement.
The longtime veteran educator says this gesture makes her feel valued.
“The pay increase also lets us know that someone believes we’re as valuable as we know we are. There’s no understatement about how valuable we are,” said Fields.
Besides the across the board raises, teachers will receive a onetime $1,000 stipend.
Faced with a teacher shortage, Fields says it’s reassuring teachers coming into the profession will get better pay.
“We don’t need warm bodies taking up classroom space in leadership positions we don’t need that, but what we do need is qualified people to lead our children into educational excellence and now we’ll be able to I believe do more of that on a consistent basis,” explains Fields.
Dr. Marty Pollio, Superintendent of JCPS, says the pay raise comes when finding employees is more competitive.
“We hope to attract teachers from others districts around us that this increase in pay will apply at JCPS as a result of this,” said Dr. Pollio.
District leaders say the well-deserved raise not only attracts and keeps teachers, but has benefits for the veterans on staff.
Starting in the 2023- 2024 school year, teachers who work at schools in the “Choice Zone” (West Louisville) and in accelerated improvement schools like Fields will receive an automatic $8,000-14,000 stipend to help keep and recruit teachers.
“I believe it will make a difference, especially in retaining our teachers, attracting teachers, but more importantly, retaining our teachers in our choice zone teachers,” said Dr. Pollio.
The mother of two says it shows people really respect what educators do to help turn children into productive adults.
“If there’s a doctor, a teacher taught that doctor, if there’s an attorney, a teacher taught that attorney,” said Fields.
In the efforts to address teacher shortages statewide, Dr. Pollio says school districts and the state legislature need to give these raises every year.
“This needs to be more than a one-year deal if we’re going to make this and reduce this crisis we’re facing with our teachers,” explains school officials.
School board members are expected to have a final vote on the new contract on June 7. If passed the pay increase will take effect July 1.