Cd'A schools aren't shy about good salaries
Judd Wilson Staff Writer | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 3 months AGO
Lorie Watkins points to the zippers on Coeur d’Alene School District’s newest bus seat covers. Watkins, with 14 years of school bus driving experience, said the kids she drives on the school bus “make a difference in my life, and I hope I make a difference in theirs.” (JUDD WILSON/Press)
JUDD WILSON/Press Coeur d’Alene School District food services technician Kyle Zimmerman makes sure that Hayden Meadows Elementary School’s dishwasher booster heater is working well on Tuesday.
Coeur d’Alene School District electrician Eric Flynn checks a transformer at Northwest Expedition Academy on Tuesday. (JUDD WILSON/Press)
Rayleen Alberts with Coeur d’Alene School District nutrition services prepares lunches for more than 200 children at Lakes Magnet Middle School Tuesday. (JUDD WILSON/Press)
COEUR d’ALENE — “A quality teacher is the single most important factor in the performance of students,” said Coeur d’Alene School District Superintendent Steve Cook last week. “The second most important is the quality of building leadership.”
Not parents, not the student’s drive, not whether the student is homeless?
“No,” said Cook.
It’s not surprising then that Coeur d’Alene School District strives to increase its teacher pay as much as possible.
Full-time elementary teachers’ average salary was $51,221 in the 2017-18 school year.
“The statewide average for elementary teachers was $47,639. So we were $3,582 above the state average,” said district spokesman Scott Maben.
Maben said the starting salary for elementary teachers in the district is $35,800 this year.
Nonetheless, “Educators in the Coeur d’Alene and surrounding areas are not being paid enough,” said Coeur d’Alene Education Association president Bruce Twitchell. “Children are the country’s most important resource and we as a state are paying people poverty wages to raise them, educate them, and prepare them for the future,” he added.
The district has to be attractive to compete for quality employees, said human resources director Kelly Ostrom.
The district spends 87 percent of its annual budget on salaries and benefits alone, said Ostrom. Maben said the district’s staffing increased by around 10 percent from 2015-17 “to accommodate steady growth in enrollment while also reducing class sizes.”
Full-time staffing rose from 1,083 in the 2015-16 school year to 1,194 last year.
Unlike private institutions which depend on voluntary transactions for their funding, the school district has the power to compel money even from patrons who vote against increased spending. Critics of high teacher pay are ignorant of the facts, Ostrom said.
“I don’t think they understand our salary structure. We’re competing with Washington just like every other employer is,” Ostrom said.
Across the state line, salaries for teachers jump considerably, she said. Maben said the ease with which teachers can get a job in the Spokane metro area while still living in Idaho’s lower-cost-of-living environment leads to a fair amount of turnover.
According to Maben, in 2015 the district had a turnover rate of 8.6 percent among exempt employees, most of whom are teachers, and 17 percent among non-exempt, hourly employees. In 2016, those numbers jumped to 10.17 percent for exempt and 25.7 percent for non-exempt employees. Numbers dipped in 2017, with 8 percent of exempt and 23.4 percent of non-exempt employees leaving the district for greener pastures.
Though no one has yet determined the exact amount, turnover costs the district a lot of money, said Cook.
“The cost of a teacher leaving is really hard to quantify. But we know that when a highly qualified teacher leaves, that experience and talent leaves with them,” he said. “We are going to do everything in our power to be competitive, to push for higher compensation, to attract and retain quality employees including supporting the rewrite of the Idaho funding formula, and hopefully get more funds in the schools.”
For a full list of salaries and benefits, visit http://bit.ly/2PegrHM
Title Salary Benefits
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION CERT 156,115.36 32,732.78
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 107,934.24 24,589.65
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION CERT 105,080.00 31,253.18
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION CERT 105,080.00 31,395.12
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 102,463.03 30,793.69
COACHING ATHLETICS 97,713.76 26,633.20
TITLE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION 96,998.31 29,644.85
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION 96,585.72 28,578.66
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION CERT 93,870.96 28,408.52
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 93,161.06 28,495.64
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 91,127.60 27,719.23
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 90,783.90 28,084.30
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 90,283.83 27,712.66
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 89,970.28 24,456.05
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 88,709.29 24,683.12
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 88,017.30 27,872.83
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION CERT 87,081.00 27,287.65
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 85,831.87 27,038.68
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 85,336.98 27,088.34
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 84,561.88 27,180.69
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 84,100.46 23,236.34
COACHING ATHLETICS 83,704.30 26,803.60
MAINTENANCE 83,501.40 26,433.12
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 80,879.02 26,217.69
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION 80,787.96 23,105.18
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 80,624.84 26,405.37
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 79,945.74 22,517.91
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 79,776.80 26,153.58
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 79,299.96 26,247.04
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 79,076.80 25,857.32
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION CERT 78,238.57 22,101.97
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 77,526.80 16,115.82
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 77,460.25 22,555.91
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 75,201.85 24,905.19
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION 74,208.00 24,432.00
SPECIAL ED TCHR SECONDARY 74,064.80 24,564.50
COUNSELOR 72,228.18 24,324.59
JUVENILE RESOURCE TEACHER 72,053.95 23,966.49
JUVENILE RESOURCE TEACHER 71,844.89 20,900.61
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST 71,684.00 23,721.10
COUNSELOR 71,039.70 19,772.09
COUNSELOR 70,677.78 31,154.44
COUNSELOR 69,931.45 24,075.73
SECONDARY TEACHER 69,843.90 14,259.02
COUNSELOR 69,392.92 20,286.00
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 67,925.00 21,849.60
SECONDARY TEACHER 67,527.70 20,018.82
DISTRICT ADMINSTRATIVE 67,500.00 23,838.52
COUNSELOR 66,998.04 19,748.69
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST 66,661.86 23,634.68
COUNSELOR 66,268.30 23,619.15
SPECIAL ED TEACHER 66,035.40 19,313.99
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 66,023.30 19,907.73
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION CERT 65,942.80 21,583.31
ADVANCED LEARNING TEACHER SECONDARY 65,923.30 23,418.07
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,923.30 22,961.91
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,923.30 29,929.70
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,923.30 23,249.96
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,923.30 19,665.78
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,923.30 23,502.28
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,923.30 22,743.94
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,923.30 19,656.38
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,923.30 23,565.01
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,923.30 23,020.95
SECONDARY SUBSTITUTE TCHER 65,923.30 23,325.30
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,923.30 19,512.41
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,923.30 19,588.91
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,923.30 23,296.35
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,923.30 30,205.69
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,923.30 22,853.03
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,923.30 19,482.60
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,923.30 23,411.89
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,862.30 19,347.42
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,712.70 23,154.18
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,698.70 23,462.95
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 65,556.36 21,846.98
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,534.70 23,354.20
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,534.70 23,164.34
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,506.70 29,741.35
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,506.70 19,575.80
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,506.70 18,740.86
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,506.70 23,217.89
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,506.70 23,169.87
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,506.70 22,873.50
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,506.70 30,122.79
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,506.70 23,474.52
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,506.70 22,792.38
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,506.70 23,180.80
SPECIAL ED TCHR 1-6 65,506.70 22,777.44
TITLE STAFF DEVELOPMENT 65,506.70 19,494.33
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,195.00 13,320.10
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,195.00 22,790.09
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,174.00 22,932.38
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,150.42 22,796.03
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,135.36 24,748.79
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,111.00 22,902.50
ADVANCED LEARNING TEACHER SECONDARY 65,090.00 23,285.87
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,090.00 22,323.92
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,090.00 23,019.59
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,090.00 22,827.98
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,090.00 23,338.07
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,090.00 23,336.75
SECONDARY SUBSTITUTE TCHER 65,090.00 23,112.76
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,090.00 22,405.01
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,090.00 13,910.25
SPECIAL ED TEACHER 65,090.00 22,489.38
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST 65,090.00 22,713.84
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,085.39 23,279.67
SECONDARY TEACHER 65,020.00 22,879.35
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 65,015.00 22,426.63
COUNSELOR 64,969.02 19,408.85
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,815.00 23,319.06
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,815.00 22,931.05
SPECIAL ED TCHR 1-6 64,815.00 20,899.38
ADVANCED LEARNING TEACHER SECONDARY 64,718.66 19,372.81
SECONDARY TEACHER 64,704.50 19,522.64
SECONDARY TEACHER 64,572.80 23,108.71
ADVANCED LEARNING TEACHER SECONDARY 64,455.94 22,216.02
SECONDARY TEACHER 64,327.66 22,603.55
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,176.36 19,182.85
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,176.36 26,771.70
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,176.36 22,095.36
SECONDARY TEACHER 64,118.36 22,713.75
SECONDARY TEACHER 64,104.36 22,951.28
SECONDARY TEACHER 64,090.36 23,171.90
ADVANCED LEARNING TEACHER SECONDARY 64,076.36 22,139.28
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,076.36 22,992.41
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,076.36 23,073.26
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,076.36 19,135.93
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,076.36 22,930.96
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,076.36 22,727.28
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,076.36 19,126.00
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,076.36 22,264.30
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,076.36 22,910.44
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,076.36 19,285.32
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,076.36 19,651.71
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,076.36 23,050.76
SECONDARY TEACHER 64,076.36 23,196.28
SECONDARY TEACHER 64,076.36 19,211.18
SECONDARY TEACHER 64,076.36 23,233.09
SECONDARY TEACHER 64,076.36 29,501.26
SPECIAL ED TCHR SECONDARY 64,076.36 13,065.91
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 64,050.00 21,481.70
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,029.27 22,779.64
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 64,001.36 22,189.53
ADVANCED LEARNING TEACHER SECONDARY 63,831.77 22,123.02
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,809.66 19,150.99
SECONDARY TEACHER 63,761.00 22,985.48
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,759.66 19,128.95
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,705.00 22,850.99
SECONDARY TEACHER 63,687.66 23,036.81
SECONDARY TEACHER 63,684.16 23,101.34
ADVANCED LEARNING TEACHER SECONDARY 63,659.66 22,209.45
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,659.66 22,988.21
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,659.66 22,764.06
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,659.66 19,198.20
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,659.66 22,985.62
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,659.66 22,864.01
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,659.66 22,544.77
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,659.66 12,882.82
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,659.66 19,159.59
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,659.66 22,249.60
LIBRARIAN CERTIFIED 63,659.66 22,401.68
SECONDARY SUBSTITUTE TCHER 63,659.66 13,006.40
SECONDARY SUBSTITUTE TCHER 63,659.66 19,645.18
SECONDARY TEACHER 63,659.66 19,645.23
SECONDARY TEACHER 63,659.66 22,923.19
SECONDARY TEACHER 63,659.66 22,613.90
SECONDARY TEACHER 63,659.66 19,310.62
SPECIAL ED TCHR 1-6 63,589.24 19,263.40
COUNSELOR 63,413.04 19,833.56
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST 63,318.30 29,315.02
SECONDARY TEACHER 63,288.30 28,799.25
SECONDARY TEACHER 63,263.96 22,898.67
SECONDARY TEACHER 63,256.96 23,022.49
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,242.96 18,890.34
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,242.96 22,679.72
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,242.96 19,045.80
SECONDARY TEACHER 63,242.96 18,878.41
SECONDARY TEACHER 63,242.96 22,129.35
SECONDARY TEACHER 63,242.96 22,074.32
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 63,197.80 25,729.11
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 62,980.00 12,837.60
SECONDARY TEACHER 62,967.96 22,567.14
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 62,871.60 22,835.23
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 62,867.96 21,676.10
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 62,837.86 22,818.06
COUNSELOR 62,718.19 18,950.27
COUNSELOR 62,583.60 18,976.29
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 62,166.20 22,557.90
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 62,089.30 22,776.34
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 61,857.12 18,833.92
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 61,820.66 18,628.13
COUNSELOR 61,810.47 22,080.61
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 61,720.66 21,469.39
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 61,720.66 22,201.42
SECONDARY TEACHER 61,720.66 22,754.67
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST 61,720.66 18,676.35
PAYROLL SPECIALIST 61,686.86 22,390.57
SECONDARY TEACHER 61,469.08 22,233.13
SECONDARY TEACHER 61,359.80 22,270.00
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 61,350.80 21,587.03
SPECIAL ED TCHR 1-6 61,213.96 18,468.53
SECONDARY TEACHER 61,108.60 22,469.87
NUTRITION STAFF 61,017.00 19,451.72
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,990.80 18,098.63
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,990.80 19,318.82
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,990.80 19,789.48
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,990.80 22,027.78
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,990.80 22,412.43
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,990.80 22,273.39
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,990.80 21,826.02
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,990.80 18,679.78
SECONDARY TEACHER 60,990.80 22,525.77
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,981.20 12,471.84
TRANSPORTATION 60,866.04 22,257.27
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,848.66 22,241.18
ADVANCED LEARNING TEACHER SECONDARY 60,748.66 22,383.89
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,748.66 12,415.06
SECONDARY SUBSTITUTE TCHER 60,748.66 22,394.25
SECONDARY TEACHER 60,592.60 21,593.54
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,432.74 22,364.91
COUNSELOR 60,303.20 22,305.23
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,267.50 22,044.92
SECONDARY TEACHER 60,256.50 22,103.82
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 60,242.50 21,825.82
SECONDARY TEACHER 60,242.50 22,333.75
SECONDARY TEACHER 60,242.50 21,539.04
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST 60,242.50 18,522.55
SECONDARY TEACHER 59,882.46 22,392.57
SPECIAL ED TCHR SECONDARY 59,882.46 22,200.91
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 59,731.30 22,196.05
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 59,631.30 12,149.91
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 59,631.30 21,256.92
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 59,512.86 22,024.56
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 59,512.86 22,138.43
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 59,512.86 21,729.61
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 59,512.86 21,709.37
SECONDARY TEACHER 59,512.86 28,420.09
SECONDARY TEACHER 59,512.86 19,062.02
SECONDARY TEACHER 59,504.00 21,650.16
SECONDARY TEACHER 59,491.27 21,996.45
SECONDARY TEACHER 59,432.49 28,242.46
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 59,367.00 18,330.20
Title 1 CERTIFICATED STAFF 59,190.90 25,495.83
SECONDARY TEACHER 59,123.62 21,705.25
SPECIAL ED TCHR SECONDARY 59,113.52 18,271.34
SPECIAL ED TEACHER 58,896.50 19,935.79
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 58,378.78 21,337.48
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 58,212.90 17,476.03
TECHNOLOGY 58,182.00 21,626.01
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 58,153.30 18,730.58
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 58,153.30 21,771.65
SECONDARY TEACHER 58,153.30 21,510.11
SECONDARY TEACHER 58,049.50 11,882.38
SECONDARY TEACHER 58,049.50 21,870.36
SECONDARY TEACHER 58,047.86 17,984.54
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 57,989.70 21,941.91
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 57,784.70 21,734.15
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 57,768.70 20,928.10
SECONDARY TEACHER 57,177.20 21,814.58
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 57,163.20 23,164.82
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 57,163.20 21,646.91
SPECIAL ED TCHR SECONDARY 57,163.20 28,121.12
SCHOOL ADMINSTRATION 57,037.50 20,031.80
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 56,918.30 21,062.55
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 56,909.42 21,517.88
TECHNOLOGY 56,803.70 21,164.37
SECONDARY TEACHER 56,590.80 21,153.88
SECONDARY TEACHER 56,548.80 17,728.25
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 56,450.24 17,640.42
SECONDARY TEACHER 56,371.00 21,443.26
TECHNOLOGY 56,181.96 21,111.14
TECHNOLOGY 56,181.96 19,121.00
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION 56,100.00 11,320.34
SECONDARY TEACHER 56,034.86 19,712.53
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 55,873.42 18,662.30
SECONDARY TEACHER 55,838.10 21,437.80
SECONDARY TEACHER 55,810.14 20,636.36
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 55,810.10 21,092.68
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 55,810.10 20,559.42
TRANSPORTATION MECHANIC 55,651.56 21,043.13
COUNSELOR 55,637.50 21,497.54
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 55,567.80 21,231.50
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 55,567.80 21,215.82
SPECIAL ED TCHR SECONDARY 55,567.80 21,489.95
SECONDARY TEACHER 55,483.16 21,338.96
SECONDARY TEACHER 55,469.72 16,559.21
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 55,441.16 17,573.26
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 55,199.00 21,066.21
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 55,199.00 21,088.85
SECONDARY SUBSTITUTE TCHER 54,831.70 16,277.74
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 54,829.30 20,912.19
ACCOUNTS PAYABLES SPECIALIST 54,703.92 17,405.83
SECONDARY TEACHER 54,668.98 19,879.47
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 54,575.10 21,106.20
SECONDARY SUBSTITUTE TCHER 54,575.10 21,268.78
SECONDARY TEACHER 54,521.80 11,487.96
ELEMENTARY TEACHER 54,459.50 21,111.55
SECONDARY TEACHER 54,402.80 11,147.50
SECONDARY TEACHER 54,332.80 20,420.12
SECONDARY TEACHER 54,332.80 17,438.66
SECONDARY TEACHER 54,332.80 17,400.12
SPECIAL ED TCHR 1-6 54,332.80 20,479.17
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