At a series of meetings held as the school year wound down, the Vashon Island School District’s board of directors considered and approved pay increases for the district’s administrators and superintendent and set the district’s 2023-2024 budget at just under $28 million — a 2.51 percent increase from last year’s budget of approximately $27.2 million.

The budget was unanimously approved by the board at its June 22 meeting.

District revenues of $27,974,629, matching expenses in the 2023-2025 budget, are accounted for by approximately $6.6 million in local property tax revenues, $19.1 in state funding, and $2.3 million in federal funding.

Enrollment for the district is projected to be 1,438 full-time enrolled students in the 2023-2024 school year — an increase from the year-end average of 1430 full-time students this year.

Personnel costs account for approximately 77.5 percent of the new budget — around $21.7 million. That figure is only a 2.5 percent increase in personnel costs from the 2022-2023 budget, despite raises for different staffing groups approved by the board this year and also established last year in collective bargaining agreements.

Superintendent Slade McSheehy, in a phone interview on Monday, said that the minimal increase to personnel costs was achieved due to retirements, voluntary leaves and other departures by some experienced and therefore more highly paid staff members, as well as decreased funding for benefits and some program cuts.

A reduction in force, though planned by VISD’s budget advisory board and approved by the school board earlier this year, was ultimately not needed, he said.

Costs for the district’s materials, supplies and other operating costs will rise more dramatically in the 2023-2024 budget — these costs account for $6.3 million in the new budget, up from $5.7 million in last year’s budget — a 20 percent increase.

According to the budget document prepared by Kim Mayer, director of business and finance for the district, the increase in these costs is due to the inflation on goods and materials including insurance, utilities and supplies. Also, Mayer said, the number reflects built-in capacity in case of increased enrollment or revenue from other sources.

A student fee schedule, included in the budget document, shows minimal additional costs for students to participate in elective classes and extracurricular activities, but prices for school meals will increase by about 50 cents per meal in each of the district’s three schools. Those who qualify to receive free and reduced-price meals from the district are eligible to have other fees eliminated or reduced as well.

Starting last year, the district eliminated funding for several enrichment programs that have been hailed as beneficial to students’ mental health. As was the case last year, the Vashon Schools Foundation has again committed to fully funding these programs in 2024-2025, which include Sisterhood, Journeymen, Vashon Artists in Schools, Sources of Strength, Vashon Wilderness Program, Vashon Nature Center, and a counseling program conducted in partnership with Vashon Youth & Family Services.

Administrators get raises

At its June 8 meeting, the board approved raises in base salaries for certificated administrators in the district.

These positions include principals and assistant principals, as well as two other district roles — the director of teaching and learning, a job held by Stephanie Spencer, and the director of student services, held by Kathryn Coleman.

The raises will be in effect for both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years.

In 2023-24, salaries for these administrators will increase by 4.7 percent, matching a 4.7 increase for union-affiliated teachers, para-educators, and some other employees that were determined by bargaining agreements signed last year.

As a result of the raises, annual salaries for administrators in the district will range in 2023-2024 from approximately $140,500 to $173,000, depending on the position held and years of experience of the staff member.

In 2024-2025, those same salaries will rise again, from approximately $147,500 to $184,000.

In a statement accompanying the request for the raises, Superintendent Slade McSheehy wrote that administrative salary increases were an investment in the long-term success and stability of the district.

“While program reductions may be necessary due to budget contrasts or other factors, it’s important to realize the value of competent and experienced administrators in maintaining the quality of our island education,” he said. “Effective leadership at the administrative level can lead to improved student outcomes, increased staff satisfaction and enhanced community engagement.”

Superintendent raise

At the June 8 meeting, the board also approved a 4.7% raise in salary for McSheehy for the 2023-24 school year, raising his base salary from $189,363 this year to $198,158 for the 2023-2024 school year.

In addition to his base salary, McSheehy receives a package of benefits that includes a percentage of his salary paid to him to invest in a retirement fund.

Speaking at a board meeting, McSheehy compared his salary with those of other superintendents in Puget Sound Educational School Districts. Of these group of 35 districts, Vashon ranked 32nd in terms of its enrollment, and McSheehy’s salary ranked 31st in terms of superintendent compensation, he said.

McSheehy’s employment contract also calls for his compensation adjustments in the next two school years to not be lower than the inflationary price index used by the legislature in the state budget, plus 1 percent — a calculation bargained by other non-supervised certificated district employees.

A first draft of the contract, reviewed by the board at the May 23 meeting, called for that consideration to not only be effective for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years but also for “subsequent contract years.” However, the latter phrase was not included in the contract approved on June 8.

McSheehy, at that meeting, said it had been removed due to concerns communicated by some community members about the raises extending “in perpetuity.”

McSheehy’s three-year contract with the district is reviewed and renewed annually by the board.

Until this year, that process has been tied to a calendar date of April 15, but this spring, the board also unanimously approved another addendum to the superintendent’s contract which eliminated the language stipulating that specific date.

The addendum, passed unanimously by the board on April 27 after being described by board member Toby Holmes as a “mechanical” change, now states that if McSheehy, in his annual review, receives a rating of “proficient or above and making progress toward goals,” the board will extend his contract for one year.