MPS School Board unanimously approves 4.7% pay increase for school staff

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A raise was approved for all Milwaukee Public Schools staff at Thursday night's board meeting.

Members unanimously approved the 4.7 percent pay increase for all employees, from kitchen staff to teachers.

All employees will see the pay increase on their checks beginning July 1, 2022. 

"If the Legislature is not going to give us what our children are worth, then we need to protect teachers and make sure they have the resources that they need, and so I would like to thank the administration and everyone that was involved in making sure that we respect the profession and respect the people that continue to educate our children every day," said District 5 board member Jilly Gokalgandhi. 

Board member after board member spoke up about the importance of giving teachers a raise. 

"Thank you for working it out where we can give our staff a raise," said District 1 board member Marva Herndon. 

Board president Bob Peterson said the district is struggling to hire and retain staff. 

"We have been short of teachers this year and it's had a big impact in some schools, with some students, and it's been a big issue," said Peterson. 

While the school is working to be more competitive with pay, some board members expressed concern over teacher salaries in the long run. 

"I'm just concerned we're going to get to a point where we're not going to have enough teachers to man our classrooms altogether," said District 7 board member Henry Leonard. "So I think we need to take a serious look at it and have an objective, honest prognosis on where we're headed." 

The 4.7 percent pay increase is meant to counteract rising inflation costs. The school anticipates the another big pay hike next year.