2024 Referendum

The average age of schools in our district is over 78 years old, and some date back to 1921. While these schools have been exceptionally well maintained and have served our students well, some of the buildings have outlived their useful life. They are challenging and expensive to maintain. 

Finally, because of the age of our school buildings and because they were designed to support how teaching and learning took place in the past, many of our current facilities do not support a modern curriculum and how learning now takes place. This is especially true for our career and technical education spaces.

During the 2014-2015 payroll crisis staff salaries were frozen during our realignment to staffing levels that supported our enrollment, and the Steps & Lanes structure was removed.  During this freeze period, staff salaries as compared to regional averages began to fall behind thus resulting our staff being underpaid by 5-7% compared to regional comparables.

To correct this, a redevelopment of the current compensation structure was conducted in 2018-2019. This development took into consideration only internal salaries to remove what is called compression amongst all employees. This however did not take into account external salary comparables.

As it currently stands, WAWM lags behind the regional teacher salary by:

• (5.6%) -  1st  Year Teachers

• (5.4%) -  5th  Year Teachers

• (6.3%) -  10th Year Teachers

• (7.0%) -  15th Year Teachers + Beyond

The Board of Education, Teachers Association, and Administration are committed to a staff compensation model that secures and retains high quality teaching staff to deliver the district's curriculum. The Board of Education and District Administration place a high value on its staff and acknowledge the incredible contribution they make every day as they provide students with an engaging learning atmosphere where students are welcomed, challenged, and supported.