If approved, Oak Ridge Schools employees will receive a 1.5% increase in pay next school year with step increases on the salary schedule for most of them effectively increasing their wages by 2.5%.
The proposed pay increases are far less than those requested by the Oak Ridge principals and other administrators, and the Oak Ridge Education Association on March 30. As reported earlier, the Oak Ridge educators made their requests for pay increases for both themselves and non-teaching staff to the city’s Board of Education at a board meeting, requesting salary hikes ranging from 3% to 7%.
Jenifer Van Dyke, the city schools’ executive director of finance, presented the Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday, April 27, with “budget concepts” for the upcoming year’s budget proposal. She pointed out that pay and benefits for the school system’s employees make up 80% of the budget…