Collierville board approves 2024–25 budget, moves to raise starting teacher pay toward $50,000

The Collierville School Board voted April 30 to approve the district’s 2024–25 general fund budget, advancing a multi‑part package intended to raise starting teacher pay and expand staffing.

Superintendent Dyer told the board the proposal would “recalibrat[e] all teacher salaries” to move the district toward the governor’s target of a $50,000 minimum starting salary and would result in “roughly a 6% bump” on average across the teacher salary schedule. He said the budget also includes a 3% cost‑of‑living increase for classified staff, step increases for eligible employees, a $4.7 million investment in employees and 44 new positions — the majority of them classroom teachers.

The presentation noted the district is absorbing several academic interventionists formerly funded through ESSER into the ongoing general fund so those positions can continue beyond pandemic‑era grant timelines. The superintendent also described planned equipment refreshes, including an Apple device refresh and a starting investment to update the high school TV studio.

Board members moved and seconded the budget item and took a roll‑call vote; the motion carried. The board then approved related budget items, including the district’s other funds budget and the special revenue fund budget, during the same meeting.

Why it matters: The salary recalibration is designed to help recruit and retain teachers and to align local pay more quickly with statewide goals. Budget supporters said the changes should make teacher pay more competitive and preserve intervention services that were previously grant‑funded.

The board’s action concludes the local approval step; implementation details such as effective pay dates and the HR timeline for hiring and step increases will be handled by district staff in coming weeks.