The Yellow Board

asking for a raise

Posted by cent on 3/20/2021, 3:59 pm

It's time to ask for a raise. I'm the HBD for a growing district. I've been here for 6 years now, and the unfortunate reality is that I can go be a badass assistant or MS HD nearby and make more money with less work and responsibility. I like my job, and I'm looking for advice on asking for a raise.

Long story short, my hard work as paid off and the program is very competitive.

Thanks in advance.

Re: asking for a raise

Posted by Depends on 3/23/2021, 10:42 am, in reply to "asking for a raise"

A lot will depend on your district's pay structure.

Are you on a 187 day teacher contract + stipend?
Are you on an extended contract?

In our situation, the rest of my staff is on a 187 day teacher contract with bigger stipends built to compensate for the additional time spent.

For me, as the HBD, I am on an administrative contract/sliding scale. 226 days, no stipend. My first contract day is July 1 each summer, and I usually work until the middle of June. Most days in the summer, the AD, Principal, and I are the only ones on campus aside from maintenance.

This is not out of the ordinary for many districts.

Re: asking for a raise

Posted by i am on 3/24/2021, 12:12 pm, in reply to "Re: asking for a raise"

I am on a 227 day contract, and I also have a stipend. If they are basing your pay on the teacher pay scale in your district, you are getting the raw end of the deal without a stipend.

Re: asking for a raise

Posted by Sandlapper on 3/22/2021, 11:40 am, in reply to "asking for a raise"

As has been already mentioned, if you're in a multiple HS district, you're stuck unless your administrators will go to bat for all of the HBDs.

A way to start the conversation is to go to your principal and let them know that you're exploring other options (and you'd like their blessing/recommendation). They'll likely ask why and then you can tell them about the salary inequities with surrounding schools.

Re: asking for a raise

Posted by probably on 3/22/2021, 10:12 am, in reply to "asking for a raise"

You will probably have more luck asking for extra days, or just an increase in stipend. Write down EVERYTHING you do outside the school day. Add those up in hours and covert to days. It will be more than you have already, if you already have extra days.

Re: asking for a raise

Posted by Houston on 3/22/2021, 9:03 am, in reply to "asking for a raise"

Good luck. Your daily pay is set by the school board and is probably universal for every single teacher based on days worked and number of years worked. You might have some luck getting a stipend increase but you need to show the number of hours you are working. Because the quality is better doesn't make a school board want to spend money. You need to show that not only quality but especially, quantity of hours to get that product.

And then be prepared for them to say no and you will need to decide if you are willing to continue to work the hours required to maintain that product and amount of activity. And it's okay to say no as well. Maybe all of the extra things need to go away. And if you are willing to continue to work those extra hours without the pay know the school board will simply never give you more than the base pay raise as long as you are there.

Re: asking for a raise

Posted by FYI.. on 3/22/2021, 11:44 am, in reply to "Re: asking for a raise"

It's not out of the realm of possibility for a teacher to get moved from a standard 187 day contract to a 191, or even a 200 day contract. That bumps your base pay accordingly without adjusting your stipend.

Re: asking for a raise

Posted by True on 3/22/2021, 4:49 pm, in reply to "Re: asking for a raise"

But that usually translates to working more days because the district doesn't increase your contract days without adding them to the front or back of the year. If only they would count all of those Saturdays in October but in my experience, the longer contract meant more money but also meant my work started the second week of July and ended the second week of June......

Re: asking for a raise

Posted by Those.... on 3/23/2021, 8:10 am, in reply to "Re: asking for a raise"

days within the normal contract are what the stipend is technically for. The extended contract days are either before or after the days that the regular contract (187 days) is set for on the districtwide calendar. Can't have it both ways. If you want an extended contract those days will be in August or June; before or after the regular contract calendar.

Re: asking for a raise

Posted by FYI.. on 3/22/2021, 9:37 pm, in reply to "Re: asking for a raise"

We start usually 10-14 days before the day teachers report for summer band. If you go from 187 to 201, that’s the 14 days right there.

Re: asking for a raise

Posted by If.... on 3/23/2021, 5:26 pm, in reply to "Re: asking for a raise"

That's if your district will allow that. In my district, everyone on an extended calendar has set work days that they must be at school (going past the last day and before the regular report day). Just because you come back even earlier to do summer band doesn't mean you can take off those days in June.

Re: asking for a raise

Posted by FYI.. on 3/25/2021, 8:11 am, in reply to "Re: asking for a raise"

If you approach your supervisor or superintendent, you can sometimes negotiate when those days are. At my last school, for my first year, I was required to work through June 20, got one month off for Summer, and then was back teaching by late July with band camp. When I pointed out my schedule, and showed all of the days I worked in summer prior to the official "start date" they were willing to let those July-August days count instead of making me work in June.

Re: asking for a raise

Posted by Comps on 3/21/2021, 8:00 am, in reply to "asking for a raise"

#1 - You really only have negotiating power by yourself if you're in a small district with one high school. Otherwise, you need to get everyone in your position involved.

#2 - Not a lot of districts care to pay for success of the band program. You can certainly include in your presentation that you've done x and y with the band program. This is generally a good way to get increased budget or a one-off budget for new uniforms or something, but not for your salary.

#3 - The more effective argument will be comparing to other districts. Nobody likes to be at the bottom of the pile. It sounds like you've already done some research, but I would definitely put together some numbers about what districts nearby are paying their band director (make sure you include teacher base, stipend, contract length, extra days) and see where you end up. If you're in a 2A, don't worry about the 6A districts. Don't compare to districts on the other end of the state. Compare apples to apples. A good place to start is the schools you compete against in your UIL region.

Re: asking for a raise

Posted by Hugo on 3/22/2021, 8:44 am, in reply to "Re: asking for a raise"

You could also use people in your TEA comparison group (can’t remember what it’s called). It’s what they use to compare STAAR scores. Based on density, socio-economic, etc.

May/may not be helpful to your cause but worth a look.

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