ROCKWOOD GIVES SUPERINTENDENT THE RAISE THAT WAS DENIED TO TEACHERS? THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT A TAX LEVY. WHY SOME TEACHERS WON'T GET THE FULL RAISE PROPOSED.
Rockwood teachers have asked for a 16% raise in increments over the next three years.
Rockwood, so far, has said no.
But, said yes to a nearly 17% raise for the district's superintendent, also over 3 years.
As we previously reported, Rockwood's superintendent is already among the highest paid compared to other area districts, (#7) while Rockwood teachers are already among the lowest (#20) compared to those same districts.
The Rockwood community learned about the controversial raise for Dr. Curtis Cain Thursday. The district's school board approved the raise when it voted earlier this month to extend Cain's contract for three more years.
Rockwood, so far, has said no.
But, said yes to a nearly 17% raise for the district's superintendent, also over 3 years.
As we previously reported, Rockwood's superintendent is already among the highest paid compared to other area districts, (#7) while Rockwood teachers are already among the lowest (#20) compared to those same districts.
The Rockwood community learned about the controversial raise for Dr. Curtis Cain Thursday. The district's school board approved the raise when it voted earlier this month to extend Cain's contract for three more years.
The news comes on the heels of an email Cain sent to parents districtwide Tuesday, saying that the district has committed to a 12% raise for teachers over 3 years.
The timing of offering 12% to teachers but 17% to the superintendent further lowered teacher morale. The district has since explained that Cain’s raise is not final and dependent on teacher negotiations.
The email caused additional surprise by announcing that a survey will be coming out to gauge taxpayer support for a tax levy increase that would be needed for any teacher raise above the 12% offered.
The email did not address whether there are any potential attempts to find the money somewhere in the budget.
It also did not explain that hundreds of teachers would not get the full 12% raise that's currently offered. (Later, the district developed a frequently asked questions document that does address this issue. You can see that, and, Cain's email, at the bottom of this post.)
NOT THE FULL 12%
200 TEACHERS ONLY GET 6.6%
Approximately 200 of Rockwood's longest serving teachers would get just over half the 12% raise that Rockwood proposed. Specifically, a total of 6.6% over the three years, according to calculations using proposed salary steps.
All 200 teachers affected have 25 or more years of service at pay steps MA, MA 15, and MA 30. (A Master's degree, a Master's degree plus 15 education credits, and a Master's degree plus 30 education credits.)
Although the current raise proposal includes 5.25% in year one, 3.25% in year two and another 3.25% in year three, the affected Rockwood teachers would get yearly raises as low as 1.9%.
The salary grids are complex visually, so we summarized those pay steps into the graph below. The actual proposed salary grids are at the bottom of this post.
WHY LESS?
The district caps steps at 25 years of service, meaning teachers with more than 25 years experience can't move up a step for their additional years of service the way other teachers do, with fewer years. Raises for every year after 25 are smaller increments, rather than full steps.
Teachers say the district and teacher union agreed to cap the pay steps at 25 several years ago, in exchange for more money as a whole to be added later to teacher pay. Teachers tell us they don't think that promise is being honored, which is another point of contention in the current negotiations.
Meanwhile, teachers across the pay steps have said they have to work additional jobs to make ends meet. For more on that, see our previous report.
LUMPED TOGETHER
The tax levy, according to Rockwood, would not direct the money only to raises for teachers. It would fund raises for all Rockwood staff.
That means the money would be spread across the district's roughly 3,400 employees instead of only across the 1,500 teachers.
LUMPED TOGETHER
The tax levy, according to Rockwood, would not direct the money only to raises for teachers. It would fund raises for all Rockwood staff.
That means the money would be spread across the district's roughly 3,400 employees instead of only across the 1,500 teachers.
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| Source: Rockwood FAQ page |
In the context of these teacher pay negotiations, one might assume the 85% describes how much of the district's salaries and benefits go to teacher salaries. But, according to page 174 of Rockwood's Annual Budget, only 70.1% is spent on teachers.
That 70% may come up again. A current bill introduced in Missouri's legislature would mandate that 88% of all salary and benefits money goes specifically to teachers by the next school year, and higher in subsequent years.
Lumping teachers in with all employees matters at a time when teachers are asking to be prioritized in the district. Specifically, it's teacher salaries that are the cause of tension in the district right now, because of their low ranking among area school districts.
It is not clear what Cain's pay rank will be over the next 3 years. By the 2027-2028 school year, his salary could reportedly be as high as $320,000, a $46,178 dollar increase over his current $273,822 salary.
This post has been updated to add clarification about Cain’s raise.
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MORE DETAIL
MORE DETAIL
1) Pay grids
CURRENT (2024-2025 salary grid)
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| Current 2024-2025 salary grid. Source: Click here Note: years of service stop accruing after 25. |
PROPOSED
2025-2026
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2026-2027
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| Closer look at the proposed salary grid for the 2026-2027 school year. Note, no steps after 25 years of service. |
2027-2028
2) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM ROCKWOOD ABOUT SALARY NEGOTIATIONS can be accessed here.
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| Proposed salary grid for the 2027-2028 school year. Note, no steps after 25 years of service. |
2) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM ROCKWOOD ABOUT SALARY NEGOTIATIONS can be accessed here.
3) TUESDAY'S EMAIL TO PARENTS FROM FROM DR. CAIN:
Negotiations Update for Rockwood Families and Community
The Rockwood School District Board of Education and district leaders appreciate and value the outstanding work our educators do every day for students. I have said many times that the classroom is the reason we have a school district, which is why our focus continues to be on learning for all students.
We have been negotiating in good faith with RNEA leadership since September to land on an agreement that moves teacher salaries in a positive direction as compared to other St. Louis County districts. Our plan has always been to offer a fair raise that the district can sustain moving forward. We also recognize that to make substantial movement in our rankings for pay, it will require a request from our patrons for a levy increase. This has also been a part of our plan that we communicated with the negotiating team from the beginning.
The Board and I have received a number of emails that are accusatory in nature, alleging that we don’t care enough about our teachers and that we need to offer more in terms of salary. To be clear, the Board and I would like nothing more than to give higher raises to teachers and move us to the top of the pay scale for educators in our region. But we can not do that in a way that puts the financial future of the Rockwood School District at risk. As outlined in the parameters for interest-based bargaining, we came to the table with our very best offer of 12% over three years, with a first-year raise of 5.25%, the highest one-year raise offered in at least a decade. We also came to agreement on a number of language items in the contract that will benefit our educators.
The offers that the RNEA brought to the table were simply not fiscally sustainable. The first proposal was 30% over three years, with additional three-year proposals at 18% and 16%. These percentages would quickly exhaust the district reserves.
Our very best offer of 12% over three years was developed with what we knew in October and our financial projections based on that information. Since then, our financial projections for revenue have significantly decreased based on the following:
Governor Kehoe gave his State of the State address, indicating a decrease in the state formula that we estimate will result in $21.6 million less for Rockwood over the next three years. That equates to a $7 million reduction this upcoming school year.
An increase to our property and liability insurance premiums of 29% in November, resulting in $1.3 million additional costs in the current year and commensurate increases in projected costs for future years.
We also have to keep in mind that we don’t yet know what the financial impact will be of Senate Bill 190 (senior tax freeze), so that hasn’t even been factored into our projections yet. Additional details about the district’s financial projections can be found below in a revised fund balance overview, in the presentation to the Board of Education on Dec. 17, 2024 and in the Community Engagement meetings about Fiscal Responsibility held on Nov. 12, 2024 and Highly Qualified Staff held on Jan. 14, 2025.
Here is a graph that illustrates how the change in projections has impacted our initial offer to the RNEA, as well as where their latest counter offer would put the district reserves:
The Board and district leaders are committed to standing behind our offer - even given the financial uncertainties - but we can not put the financial future of the district in jeopardy by entertaining anything higher than our current offer. As shown by the orange line in the chart above, a 16% raise would spend down the reserves at a much faster rate, bringing reserves below the required level of 22% within the next three years and requiring a Tax Anticipation Note (borrowing to make payroll) as early as 2027. Stopping this trajectory would certainly require decreased staffing levels, and possibly a reduction in force (RIF) if the required decrease outpaced attrition.
In an effort to reach a compromise, we have proposed with the RNEA moving forward with the ratification of one of the following:
Three-year agreement – guaranteed salary for all three years: 12% over three years (5.25% in year one, 3.25% in year two, and 3.5% in year three).
Three-year agreement – guaranteed salary for two years with the third year subject to negotiation: 8.5% over two years (5.25% in year one and 3.25% in year two).
With the continued fiscal uncertainty, this is the best and most appropriate balance of paying teachers in the short term to the best of our ability while maintaining the fiscal responsibility that is needed and expected from Rockwood patrons.
With what we know today, this is a controlled deficit spend (spending down the reserves) over the course of the next two or three years. Regardless of the option, we have to be able to pivot depending on where fiscal conditions stand in 2027 or 2028. The 16% proposal from RNEA drops us below our own board policy of fiscal management.
The Rockwood tax rate is one of the lowest in St. Louis County (see chart below).
The last time there has been a tax increase for staff in the Rockwood School District was 1994. Previous administrations have successfully negotiated agreements that were ratified by the RNEA to make progress for teachers within the constraints of our fiscal reality. In fact, the agreement ratified three years ago represented a 12% increase over three years. The agreement ratified six years ago represented a 9.7% increase over three years, and the agreement ratified nine years ago represented a 9.2% increase over three years. Our teacher pay related to other districts in the county has been a longstanding challenge for Rockwood, and it is not something we can resolve overnight. It requires a measured approach with the revenue we have, and it will include a request of our community for a levy increase in order to make significant movement. The Board has already voted to proceed with a community survey to gauge the level of support in Rockwood for a levy increase for staff salaries.
Given the emails and social media posts circulating on this issue, we are working on a Frequently Asked Questions document to clarify questions and comments we are hearing and seeing. We will share that with both staff and families in the coming days.
Please know that as a district, we value and appreciate the work our teachers do every day for all students. We fully recognize that they are the backbone of our highly regarded district, where students excel and become outstanding citizens in our communities. It is our intention to move forward with one of the two options outlined above as determined by our teachers so that we can collectively plan for a levy increase that our community will support.
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we work to support our educators while maintaining the financial stability of the district in a way that benefits all Rockwood patrons.
Curtis Cain, Ph.D. Superintendent