Like many schools across the country, SLLIS has been grappling with ever-increasing student needs after 3 years of public health and economic challenges. Teacher shortages have rocked many districts in Missouri. In September of 2022, school leadership at SLLIS launched a compensation project, reimagining what school staff want and need while educating the children of St. Louis City.
The compensation project was motivated by many factors, including by not limited to inflation and increased costs of goods and services, competitiveness of the education job market in St. Louis, and the need for highly specialized staff at SLLIS. Unlike other local districts, SLLIS recruits staff from around the world to provide a dual language education for every K-8 student. As such, a driving force of the compensation project was the need to maintain a compensation system free from inequities while uplifting the unique experiences of staff today and in the future.
After months of comparative salary data research and staff feedback collection, the SLLIS Board of Directors approved the final compensation recommendations from Talent Director Dr. Anthony Graham at the February 15, 2023 Board Meeting. The total rewards system was developed to ensure the new compensation and benefits program takes a holistic approach to staff wellbeing, offering fair and predictable compensation to ensure SLLIS is retaining top talent.
The Board-approved Salary Manual and Compensation Philosophy (which can be found at https://5il.co/1pca5) were built to ensure clarity and transparency in compensation for all SLLIS staff. With these new measures in place, SLLIS would be the top paying public school district in Missouri for its starting Bachelor’s teacher salary when compared to current, 2022-2023 district salary data across the state. SLLIS expects to be in the top 5-10 paying districts when compared to traditional public school districts in the state once other districts update their compensation structures for 2023-2024.
When surveyed, the majority of SLLIS staff indicated that the most important reasons for choosing to work at SLLIS are the ability to have a positive impact on student outcomes and the relationships they form with students and families. With the new compensation structure, SLLIS hopes to add one more reason for teachers, specialists, and support staff to continue providing a world class dual language education to the children of St. Louis City.