Key points:
When discussing public school employee compensation packages, the conversations often center around salaries. A recent Pew Research Center survey found only 15 percent of teachers are extremely or very satisfied with their pay. Further, recent NEA studies concluded that even if pay increases, it’s not happening quickly enough to keep up with inflation, with teachers and education support professionals (ESPs) making 5.3 percent and 10 percent less than they did a decade ago, respectively.
According to the NEA, 54 percent of ESPs reported they were having a serious or moderate problem making a living wage and more than a quarter said they participate in or use assistance programs. What’s more, Pew found only one-third of teachers are extremely or very satisfied with their benefits options.
Persistent lower salaries and poor benefits are likely among the culprits driving another concerning figure in Pew’s findings: 29 percent of teachers say they’re likely to look for a new job in the next school year, with 40 percent of those teachers looking to leave the field altogether. And while these levels of dissatisfaction paint a bleak picture for today’s school workforce, in reality, they pinpoint areas that school districts can reevaluate to ensure educators have a competitive and supportive well-rounded compensation package.
Here are a few steps HR leaders within school districts should be taking now to make their benefits a more valuable part of the total rewards package:
Meet employees where they are
Today’s K-12 workforce is diverse. Demographic data from Zippia shows 59 percent of teachers are more than 40 years old, 28 percent are between 30 and 40, and 12 percent are under 30. The generational divide creates varying values and needs. On one hand, you have teachers who are first-time homebuyers or car buyers. On the other hand, there are teachers sending their children to college or even preparing for retirement.
To meet differing needs, it’s time for district leaders to reimagine total rewards benefits packages as an à la carte model. Much as students have their pick of multiple options in the lunch line, employees have access to a list of benefits from which they can build a plan best suited for their individual needs. For example, younger employees are interested in the flexibility to opt into benefits that can support immediate, short-term needs, such as emergency savings programs and student loan repayment. Alternatively, more tenured employees are interested in a more stripped-down benefits package, such as retirement planning, estate planning and accident and illness coverage.
Outside of à la carte plans, school districts can rethink how they support enhancing teachers’ skill sets. A study from the Economic Policy Institute found only 28 percent of teachers are reimbursed for attending conferences and workshops, where they have valuable opportunities to present their work and share best practices with other teachers. Benefits such as tuition reimbursement for continuing education make it easier for teachers, faculty, and staff to complete post-graduate work and move into administration or bring their learnings back into the classroom.
Provide support between benefits renewal cycles
On average, school districts go 3-5 years between re-evaluating benefit packages. These gaps can leave staff without support as their needs evolve. Instead of sidelining benefits conversations outside these renewal periods, districts should look at voluntary benefits they can introduce throughout the year. These offerings make it easier for employees to find solutions to problems they are facing today.
Voluntary benefits like employee purchase programs, bill payment programs, and more can be implemented anytime and oftentimes at no or low-cost to provide more choices to staff and offer support between renewal cycles. In particular, employee purchase programs can relieve employees in between pay cycles when they need to purchase major appliances in the event one breaks, or tires in case one goes flat. These programs allow employees to stretch payments across multiple paychecks with no added interest as opposed to frequently utilizing credit. Moreover, there’s no cost for the employer to implement.
Get the most out of current benefits
While it’s important for districts to ensure their benefits package reflects staff needs, utilization of benefits is also important. A 2024 MetLife study found 62 percent of employees aren’t completely confident they know every benefit available to them, and 45 percent of workers do not fully understand their benefits package. Additionally, only 18 percent of employers say their company’s managers are well-equipped and comfortable to discuss benefits with employees. To overcome this hurdle, HR leaders should continuously educate workers on available benefits in advance of open enrollment and throughout the year.
Districts must also reimagine how they approach communicating benefits with employees. According to the MetLife study, 50 percent of employees said they’d like reminders via email, while 49 percent said they wanted access to an online/portal website or video resources/podcasts. Much of the information needed to respond to common questions is available through benefits partners. To ensure teachers, faculty, and staff have the appropriate information needed to make informed decisions about their benefits, HR administrators should work directly with their benefits partners.
360-degree support
Total compensation should reflect all the hard work of teachers, support staff, and faculty every day. Districts need to rethink how they provide benefits packages, including offering more à la carte options, introducing more voluntary benefits between renewal cycles, and improving communications on available benefits. When districts create more well-rounded benefits packages, they demonstrate their support to staff both inside and outside the classroom.
