Warren outlines pay and benefits profile, flags parental‑leave funding question

Brian Simpkins, the district’s chief human resources officer, gave legislators a compact view of teacher pay, total compensation and recruitment strategies—and pressed for clarity about the fiscal impact of pending parental‑leave proposals.

Simpkins told the forum the district's average teacher salary is $60,007.31, with starting pay at $50,500 for teachers holding a bachelor's degree and $51,500 for teachers with a master's. He noted total compensation (salary plus board‑paid insurance, HSA match, retirement contributions, and other employer contributions) can push an entry‑level teacher’s package to roughly $72,000.

Simpkins described several retention tools Warren uses: differentiated stipends for hard‑to‑fill positions, one‑time hiring bonuses (for example, a $2,000 signing bonus for some high‑school math hires), and internal pipelines that allow paraprofessionals and support staff to move into teaching roles through emergency permits or transition programs.

On paid parental leave (Senate Bill 146), Simpkins said a statewide requirement—20 days of leave for full‑time employees—would be manageable if funding covered substitute costs; he estimated a rough back‑of‑the‑envelope substitute cost of about $100,000 a year for a district with roughly three dozen births per year at $150/day for substitutes. He urged legislators to consider the fiscal note when crafting mandates.

Why it matters: teacher pay and benefits are central to recruitment and retention at a time of labor shortages. District officials asked legislators to weigh mandates against the funding sources that would be needed to implement them without eroding salary bargaining pools.

Next steps: Simpkins invited follow‑up on anticipated budget impacts of parental‑leave proposals and noted the district will track staff progress on literacy endorsements ahead of bargaining.