Board approves 4% salary-schedule increases for unrepresented staff amid public concerns over deferred maintenance

The Amador County Unified School District board on Thursday approved updates to unrepresented (confidential and administrative) salary schedules, including a 4% across-the-board increase effective July 1, 2026, and the reclassification of a program specialist/behavioral intervention specialist role.

Chief Business Official Norton presented the schedules and the fiscal impact identified in the multi-year projection. Norton said there are no new positions associated with the schedule changes; the projected net increase was incorporated into the district’s multi-year financial model. Several trustees argued the increase is necessary to retain and attract experienced leaders, while public commenters urged attention to deferred maintenance and facility needs rather than additional compensation for high-paid administrators.

Public commenter Patricia Angieha asked that the board separate upper-tier district-office administrators from school-site administrators in any compensation action and said students should not have to fund facility repairs while high-paid administrators receive raises. The board said the compensation decision considered retention risks and statewide pay differentials; trustees who supported the motion cited turnover and the difficulty of recruiting qualified candidates to this rural district.

Why it matters: Salary schedules affect personnel retention and the district’s long-term structural costs. Trustees approved the schedules after public comment and internal debate, and staff noted the increases were already reflected in multi-year budgeting assumptions.