The Cumberland County Board of Education work session on February 19, 2026, devoted significant discussion to pay scales for the upcoming 2026-2027 school year, as these represent a major portion of the district’s budget. The Director of Schools, Rebecca Farley, presented multiple draft options for both certified and classified employees, drawing from recent meetings with teacher groups and aiming to balance predictability, equity, competitiveness with surrounding districts, state minimum requirements, and fiscal impact.

For certified pay scales, the focus was on Draft II (more comprehensive and recently refined), which included four options shared with the teachers’ group the prior Monday. Key goals included maintaining “balanced” scales (consistent dollar increases between steps/years of experience and between degree levels: bachelor’s to master’s, master’s to Ed.S., Ed.S. to doctorate) to promote fairness, predictability for career progression, and avoidance of sporadic past adjustments that led to inequities. No option in Draft II resulted in salary restraints or freezes for any employee.

• Option A (balanced): Approximately $36.92 million total cost, a $2.3 million increase over the current year.
• Option B (balanced, slight variation in placement of state minimums for master’s at year 11 vs. year 10 in A): Around $36.57 million, a $1.9 million increase, offering modest savings while preserving balance.
• Option C (non-balanced): Flat $1,500 annual step increase (except where state minimums required more; doctorate at $600/year), totaling about $35.61 million, a $1 million increase.
• Option D (similar to C but with variations in certain years like 10-11): Roughly $35.56 million, a $976,000 increase.

The board emphasized continuing last year’s push toward balanced, understandable scales to aid retention, recruitment, and long-term budgeting. Director Farley recommended prioritizing Draft II’s balanced options for competitiveness, with Option B potentially saving below $2 million. Additional factors discussed included the impact of retirement contributions and how raises affect overall packages.

For classified pay scales, drafts emphasized equity across roles with varying contract lengths. Options included equalized hourly step increases to simplify and ensure consistency regardless of days worked, moving away from prior percentage-based or tiered approaches. One draft featured $0.50 steps broadly, while another applied $1.00 to select 260-day positions but $0.50 elsewhere—prompting requests for uniform options plus county comparisons and longevity pay analysis.

The board stressed avoiding inequities from past percentage raises and requested further details by the next meeting. No final votes occurred; the group aimed to narrow to 2-3 options, potentially give preliminary direction, but noted they might delay adoption if the full budget context showed affordability issues. Supplements (extracurricular stipends) and sub pay (proposed increases to $90–$100/day classified to address shortages) were noted as related but secondary, with sub pay to be revisited after pay and insurance decisions.

Further refinements, visuals, and external comparisons were promised for next week’s board meeting on Thursday.