Letter: Reader says no to school referendum, proposes salary freeze
To the Editor-
I will vote no on the Stevens Point School District $14 million operational referendum.
Why? If it should pass, the referendum would raise taxes as follows: A house valued at $200,000 would see the property taxes go up $88 the first year. The second year the property taxes would go up $182.
My own property taxes have already increased $627 as a result of the recently completed reassessment of all properties in Steven Point.
Have your taxes also increased?
The following are some reasons why our taxes are increasing.
In 2022:
The highest salary at the Stevens Point Area Public School District was $176,384.
The number of employees in the Stevens Point School District was 588.
The average annual salary was $61,657.00 and median salary was $59,410.
The Stevens Point Area School Public School District average salary was 32% higher than USA average.
The median salary was 37% higher than USA median salary.
In the USA, the average Teacher salary is $60,825.
By comparison, in Stevens Point School District there are:
44 Teachers that make over $80,000 per year. *
85 Teachers that make over $70,000 per year. *
88 Teachers that make over $60,000 per year. *
266 Teachers are below the $60,825 national average. *
One District Administrator makes $176,384. The USA average is $140,077 per year for this same position.
One Business Manager makes $144,970. The USA average is $84,402 per year for this same position.
One Director of Instruction/Program makes $144,860. The USA average is $115,000 per year for this same position.
* In the Stevens Point Area Public School District, teachers work approximately 193 days per year for salaries noted above.
I could go on and on with positions in this school district that are making well above the national average, but I believe as people read this information, they will agree the Stevens Point School District needs to reassess their pay scales and bring them in line with national norms. Passing this referendum would just continue to fund these high salaries and will solve nothing.
I propose that the Stevens Point School District freezes all salaries that are over the USA average and cap them in the future. Then we should consider a smaller referendum so we can bring our teachers that are below the USA average up to a comparable wage.
Sources of information:
https://govsalaries.com/salaries/WI/stevens-point-area-public-school-district
(Stevens Point School Calendar): https://www.pointschools.net/Page/5677
Bob Larson
Stevens Point
