In an effort to reduce turnover, lunchroom supervisors at elementary schools in a Chicago-area district will see an increase in pay at the start of the new school year, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The board of education for Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 on Aug. 8 approved a proposal to increase wages for those supervisors, boosting starting pay from from $12 to $14 an hour. Returning employees who already earn above the new rate will see an hourly increase of 2%.
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Joel Martin said he hopes the increased wages will allow the district to keep lunchroom supervisors from seeking other employment.
“Since [2013], we’ve experienced considerable difficulty in keeping lunchroom supervisors,” Martin said. “We’ve had a number of occasions where they work for a very short period of time and say, ‘Listen, you’re not paying me enough. I’m leaving.’”
The wage hike will increase the district’s annual expenses by an estimated $29,000. A total of $162,400 for lunchroom supervisors’ salaries is built into the proposed budget for the 2016-17 school year.
The board also extended its contract with middle school lunch vendor Arbor Management and will be raising prices of menu items such as cheeseburgers and pizza at certain middle schools.
Read the full story via the Chicago Tribune.