Quality Staff

Successful VATRE Allows for SISD Employee Incentive Package

Thanks to the support of the Sunnyvale community and a successful VoterApproved Tax Ratification Election, SISD teachers will now see more support in their bank accounts.

The top priority of the VATRE was to provide competitive salaries for SISD teachers. This will be reflected in two ways: 1. A long-term commitment to provide significant annual raises to staff members. 2. A retainage incentive for every employee that will be earned upon every five years of service to the district.

To reward all of the almost 300 SISD employees for their continued commitment to our students, the Board of Trustees voted to provide a one-time longevity payment to be paid just before December (first half) and next July (second half, as a measure of retention incentive). The new salary structure will begin next fall. The update to SISD’s salary procedures came after much research and discussion at SISD about the nation-wide teacher shortage and a desire to ensure that Sunnyvale salaries are on par with those of area districts.

“During the fall of 2021, our administrative team became concerned because of reports across the state of school districts struggling to find qualified teachers to fill classrooms,” Superintendent Doug Williams said. “Although we were fully staffed, we felt it was important that we be proactive in implementing measures to ensure our students would continue to be taught by outstanding teachers.”

SISD went to work immediately by hosting its first-ever district job fair, last spring. Then, Superintendent Williams formed the Recruitment and Retention team, which was composed of staff members, community members, two board trustees and students. Simultaneously, the district’s Finance Team also began meeting to discuss the same concerns.

“The R&R and Finance Team met in a joint session in July with the hope of finding ways to not only attract new teachers to Sunnyvale, but to also retain our current, talented teachers,” Williams said.

The outcome of that joint meeting was to recommend to the Board of Trustees to the board to call a Voter-Approval Tax Ratification Election (VATRE) to generate additional funding for the district.

“We are excited about what this program will provide for our staff and the benefits it will provide to our students and we are grateful to our town for supporting it,” Williams said. “The cornerstone of our community is the excellent teachers Sunnyvale has always supported.”

TRUSTEES HONORED DURING SCHOOL BOARD RECOGNITION MONTH

January 2023

January is School Board Recognition Month and SISD is celebrating our seven volunteer trustees for their dedication and commitment to the district and its students.

The theme of this year’s School Board Recognition Month is “Forward, Together,” which highlights the collaboration among school leadership, teachers, and parents on behalf of students.

“Recognizing the efforts of our volunteer school board is so important because of all the hard work trustees put in to making our district a success,” Superintendent Doug Williams said. “We are fortunate to have a board of trustees who are committed to doing what’s best for all our Raiders, their families and their teachers.”