New Individualized Employee Investment Plan (IEP2) approved by Board
$6.2 million pledged toward historic improvements to employee recruitment, retention
JACKSON, Tenn. – The Jackson-Madison County School Board has approved an innovative plan to make immediate improvements to employee recruitment, morale and retention. The Individualized Investment in Every Employee Progression Plan (IEP squared), adopted Tuesday, will move JMCSS to the top 25% for starting salaries among school districts statewide. A longevity pay designation, the first of its kind for JMCSS, was also announced.
“We have to make sure that we have competitive salaries. Not only for teachers, but also cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and all positions across the board. It’s called individualized, because we’re including different auxiliaries to make sure that we’re competitive,” Superintendent Dr. Marlon King said.
A designation system (bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and titanium) will be used to provide teachers with longevity pay based on years of service in the district. For example, employees with 20 years or more of experience with JMCSS (titanium) will receive a $2,000 bonus annually at the beginning of each school year, as well as additional days for personal leave.
“The underlying factor to improving student achievement and school culture is high quality employees. We’re increasing funds towards financial and professional investment in teachers, and valuing our most experienced employees in the process,” Board Chairman James “Pete” Johnson said.
This new investment, which totals $6.2 million, will impact all current JMCSS employee salaries and be reflected on paychecks this week. The average teacher salary increase in this plan is 8.5%. Collapsing duplication of services in several departments over the last year has assisted with cost savings.
“With the state’s baseline increasing to $40,000, Dr. King was very intentional in designing a compensation package that puts JMCSS well above most other districts in West Tennessee. He and his team are to be commended for their fiscal planning,” said County Finance Director Karen Bell.
Seeing continued improvements to the academic landscape in Jackson-Madison County is the ultimate goal of IEP2. Employees are encouraged to share questions via email mypay@jmcss.org
