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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) – New teachers in the Sioux Falls School District will make more than they used to after the school board approved a new salary structure Monday.
The new structure increases the district’s base starting salary to $41,000 from $37,735 and gives the school board the option to raise it again if there is money available in the future.
A first-time teacher will earn $13,395 more over their first four years under the new system if nothing changes between now and then, according to district business manager Todd Vik.
“The problem with our [salary] schedule isn’t really what it looks like at the top, it’s what it looks like for hiring new teachers,” Vik said, “and we need to get quality teachers into the district.”
Sioux Falls’ starting teacher salary lags behind neighbors like Brandon Valley ($48,271) and Harrisburg ($45,150) even with Monday’s enhancement, according to numbers Vik presented to the board.
Data on starting teacher salaries from neighboring districts presented to the Sioux Falls School Board on Monday night.
“I am hopeful this will help us continue to hire great staff that we have in our district and open that door so we are starting to approach being competitive for our beginning teachers here in our district,” School Board President Cynthia Mickelson said.
The new structure also includes a significant raise for speech-language pathologists, a role the district is struggling to find applicants for. The starting salary for those positions has been raised to $55,250 a year, which Vik said was about a $16,000 increase.
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