Spokane schools in hiring mode; small raises proposed for most staff

Spokane Public Schools is hiring, and the salaries will be more attractive under a new schedule up for consideration Wednesday night by the board of directors.

For example, a vacant entry-level custodial assistant’s position at Wilson Elementary School on the South Hill will pay $16.57 per hour, or $34,645 annually, with full benefits.

Audubon Elementary in northwest Spokane needs a full-time office manager. Requiring completion of high-school and at least three years’ secretarial experience, the position pays $19 per hour to start and $24.81 per hour after four years.

At the administrative level, the district is seeking a new principal at North Central High School. Depending on experience, the job pays between $125,119 and $145,045 annually.

In most cases, the proposed salary schedule reflects a 2% cost-of-living increase over current salaries. If approved, the pay hikes would take effect on July 1 or Sept. 1, depending on the bargaining unit.

As of Monday, the district had 83 open positions. Most are for teachers, whose new wage schedule would take effect Sept. 1.

Next year, an entry-level teacher with a bachelor’s degree at Spokane Public Schools will earn $51,422, not including benefits.

That increases to $80,370 for a teacher with a master’s degree and 10 years’ experience. At the top end, for a teacher with 16 or more years and a master’s degree plus 90 additional credit hours, the salary is $103,472.

Generally, the highest salaries in the district are concentrated in its central office, where pay ranges from $101,000 to $165,000 a year.

School principals, who are represented by the Spokane Principals’ Association, also earned a 2% hike following a collective bargaining agreement.

Beginning this fall, elementary school principals will earn between $113,486 and $131,561 per year, with middle school principals making $119,162 to $138,141.

Assistant principals, who are employed only at the secondary level, will earn $106,316 and $129,074 annually.

For positions requiring at least an associate’s degree, paraeducators will receive the lowest salaries in the district – $15.73 per hour to start and rising to $19.48 after four years.

Pay for skilled trades positions are intended to reflect prevailing wages in the private sector. For example, the recommended salary schedule for the Plumbers & Steamfitters group calls for an annual wage of $54,038 for a first-year apprentice plumber or pipefitter.

Journeyman-level wages would range from $72,525 to $86,748 per year.