Fox administrators to see salaries rise next school year (2024)

Fox C-6 School District administrators and professional contract employees will receive pay raises averaging 4.8 percent for the 2024-2025 school year.

The Board of Education members voted unanimously April 23 to approve salaries for 45 administrators and 25 professional contract employees for next school year.

Previously the board approved a one-year contract extension for Superintendent Paul Fregeau and increased his salary from $229,175 to $233,758.50 effective July 1.

In addition, the board previously approved salaries for four employees who were promoted to either an assistant superintendent, principal or assistant principal position for the 2024-2025 school year.

The district still has four other open administrative or professional contract positions, and before filling those, Fox is projected to spend $7,772,294.50 on administrator and professional contract employee salaries for next school year, which is up from this school year when the district is projected to spend $7,596,115.22 on those salaries, said Kelly Bracht, the assistant superintendent of human resources.

The salaries for the next school year are based on a salary schedule the board approved on March 19 by a unanimous vote. That salary schedule is for assistant superintendents, principals, assistant principals, directors and managers and includes a “step scale” ranging from nine to 17 steps depending on the position.

“Next year’s cost (for administrative and professional contract salaries) will be higher in order to transition every employee onto the salary grid steps,” Bracht said. “Over time this plan will actually save the district money because the increases between steps are 2.4 percent rather than the 3 percent they have been receiving the last couple of years.

“Moving forward, employees will simply advance a step on the salary schedule each year in the same way that our teachers and support staff advance on their scale each year.”

Salary schedule

Bracht told the board on March 19 that exempt employees, the district’s administrators and professional contract employees, were the only group of Fox employees who did not have a salary schedule.

“That makes it difficult for those individuals not only for their own planning, not knowing what to expect in the future, but also it makes it difficult for the district in terms of budgeting for salaries if we don’t have a salary schedule in place,” she said.

Bracht said salary increases for administrators and professional contract employees have fluctuated in recent years.

The group received a 3 percent raise before the start of this school year. However, those employees received a 0.5 percent raise for the 2021-2022 school year, and the group did not receive a raise for the 2020-2021 school year.

“Before (the salary freeze), it was (a raise of) 2 percent or 1 percent,” Bracht said. “It’s been all over the place, which is hard for everybody to plan around.”

According to board documents, the exempt employee salary schedule is linked to the teacher salary schedule and will be recalculated each time a new teacher salary schedule is set.

The documents also said the exempt employee salary schedule may be recalculated in order to make salaries competitive.

“The board reserves the right to adjust salaries for positions as needed to remain competitive with other districts so that we are able to fill vacant positions and retain staff or to adjust or freeze the grid, if necessary, due to budget constraints,” Bracht said.

Bracht said without a set salary schedule, Fox had been setting salaries job by job, causing the district to pay less for some positions than other districts.

“We have had Clayton, Ladue, Lindbergh and Parkway (school districts) courting our talented employees, and we have lost several really talented people because they know what we were paying them and they know what they are capable of doing,” board member Judy Smith said. “We have lost such good talent because we didn’t have a salary schedule. Year after year, they did not know what they were going to be getting or where the future was for them. This will help us keep people.”

Fregeau said the new salary schedule was developed over a three-year period.

“We need to take care of our classified employees. We need to take care of our teachers. We need to take care of those (administrators) who support both,” he said. “It is a positive step in the right direction.”

The salary schedule for the district’s 75 administrators and professional contract employees includes nine categories designated as bands A through I.

■ Band A covers the district’s three assistant superintendents and the chief financial officer and includes a nine-step salary scale starting at $145,000 and ending at $175,294.

■ Band B is for two high school principals, the chief teaching and learning officer and the chief technology and communications officer and its nine-step salary scale ranges from $126,000 to $152,325.

■ Band C includes 15 elementary and middle school principals and the director of early childhood and is a 10-step salary scale ranging from $113,000 to $139,887.

■ Band D covers two directors of special education, as well as directors of student services and school safety; professional development; federal programs; maintenance; data and accountability; technology; communications; and childcare services. The 12-step salary scale starts at $105,000 and ends at $136,298.

■ Band E is for nine assistant high school principals and the director of business and financial services and includes an 11-step salary scale ranging from $100,000 to $126,765.

■ Band F includes 14 elementary and middle school assistant principals, along with directors of food service, nursing and transportation and the assistant directors of maintenance and technology. The 13-step salary scale starts at $85,000 and ends at $112,984.

■ Band G includes the administrative assistant to the superintendent, as well as the human resource, payroll and custodial managers. The 14-step salary scale starts at $70,000 and ends at $95,279.

■ Band H includes the administrative assistant to assistant superintendents, administrative assistant for special services, assistant directors for food service and for transportation and the specialists for hiring; for benefits and payroll; and for substitute and family medical leave. The 17-step salary scale ranges from $55,000 to $80,383.

■ Band I is for the Rickman Auditorium manager and includes a 17-step salary scale ranging from $45,000 to $65,768.

When employees reach the final pay step in a band, the employee will then receive a $1,200 raise for three years, a $1,500 raise for years four through six and an $1,800 raise each year after that.

The employees also may receive a stipend of $750 if they would be on step 15 of the teacher salary schedule, $1,500 if they are on step 45 of the teacher or specialists salary schedule and $2,500 if they have a doctorate, board documents show.

Open jobs

The district is still looking to fill an assistant principal position at Fox High School and at both Meramec Heights and Sherwood elementary schools.

It has open assistant principal positions at Fox High and Sherwood Elementary because district officials plan to have full-time assistant principals in all school buildings next school year.

Before the start of the current school year, Fox eliminated two administrative positions by having Hodge and Simpson elementary schools share the same assistant principal, Sara Helms, and having Tracy LaRose serve as an assistant principal at both Fox and Seckman high schools.

LaRose will be a full-time principal at Seckman High, and Helms will work full-time at Hodge. Cheryl Hayes, who had been the assistant principal at Sherwood, became the assistant principal at Simpson on April 22.

“The district will have a full complement of full-time assistantprincipals for each building for the 2024-2025 school year,” Fregeau said.

Meramec Heights’ current assistant principal Jason Bahr was promoted to principal to replace Dustin Bain, who was named the next assistant superintendent of elementary education to replace Randy Gilman, who is retiring at the end of this school year.

Lone Dell has a new assistant principal in Lindsay Gruenewald, who has taught second grade at Clyde Hamrick Elementary for the past 20 years and was the district’s 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year. She is moving into the assistant principal role because the current assistant principal, Paul Tramel, was named principal to replace the retiring Jim Ray. Gruenewald will be paid a salary of $85,000 next school year. Her salary this school year is $74,136.

It also needs to hire a director of food service to replace Gail Jones, who left the district May 31.

2024-2025 administrator, professional contract salaries

Administrators:

• Paul Fregeau, superintendent, $233,758.50
• Kelly Bracht, assistant superintendent of human resources, $163,255*
• Tammy Cardona, assistant superintendent of secondary education, $152,044*
• Ryan Sherp, Fox High principal, $148,755*
• Janine Hueter, Rockport Heights Elementary principal, $147,987**
• Jeff Krutzsch, Seckman High principal, $145,268**
• Dustin Bain, assistant superintendent of elementary, $145,000*
• Mark Rudanovich, Antonia Elementary principal, $144,987**
• Jackie Waller, Guffey Elementary principal, $142,287**
• Daniel Baker, Seckman Elementary principal, $141,087**
• Gina Buehner, Clyde Hamrick Elementary principal, $133,407**
• Joe Salsman, Fox High assistant principal, $131,865**
• Tracy Haggerty, chief teaching and learning officer, $129,024**
• Marilyn Jackson, Fox Middle principal, $127,227*
• Matt Metz, Antonia Middle principal, $127,227**
• Robert Townsley, director of early childhood education, $127,227*
• Kim Loomis, director of federal programs, $126,937**
• Courtney Meagher, Ridgewood Middle principal, $124,245
• Jessica Meeks, Sherwood Elementary, $124,245**
• Pat Schwalbe, Seckman Middle principal, $124,245*
• Curtis Sykes, Seckman High assistant principal, $123,794*
• Dustin Brown, Hodge Elementary principal, $121,333*
• Jennifer Fritz, Fox Elementary principal, $121,333**
• Katie Collins, Simpson Elementary principal, $118,489**
• Robin Greene, director of professional development, $118,219
• Samantha Muehlenbeck, director of special services, $115,449***
• Angie Baker, Ridgewood Middle assistant principal, $115,384**
• Paul Tramel, Lone Dell principal, $113,000
• Karen Dormeier, director of special services, $110,100**
• Chelsea Boyd, Seckman High assistant principal, $107,374**
• Scott Leuthauser, Fox High assistant principal, $107,374**
• Tracy Schmidt, Seckman High assistant principal, $107,374**
• Heather Schwalbe, Fox High assistant principal, $107,374**
• Rachel Sauer, Fox High assistant principal, $104,858
• Trent Sauer, Seckman High assistant principal, $104,858**
• Ryan Shreve, Seckman Elementary assistant principal, $102,759**
• Tracy LaRose, Seckman High assistant principal, $102,400**
• Ann Asher, Antonia Elementary assistant principal, $100,350**
• Kristin Darnell, Rockport Heights Elementary assistant principal, $91,268**
• Kolin Peterson, Seckman Middle assistant principal, $91,268**
• Lisa Hazard, Guffey Elementary assistant principal, $89,129**
• Casey Tinker, Fox Elementary assistant principal, $87,040**
• Lisa Brake, Antonia Middle assistant principal, $85,000*
• Craig Coleman, Fox Middle assistant principal, $85,000
• Holly Dreher, Clyde Hamrick assistant principal, $85,000***
• Lindsay Gruenewald, Lone Dell Elementary assistant principal, $85,000
• Cheryl Hayes, Simpson Elementary assistant principal, $85,000**
• Sara Helm, Hodge Elementary assistant principal, $85,000***

Professional contract employees:

• Amy Vandevender, chief financial officer, $145,000
• JP Prezzavento, chief technology and communications officer, $138,538
• Maria Bielik, director of data and accountability, $118,219**
• Susan Belleville, director of childcare services, $110,100
• John Hallenberger, director of technology, $110,100
• Andy Waterman, director of communications, $110,100
• Kevin Piel, director of maintenance, $95,066
• Gary Cross, director of transportation, $91,268
• Christina Rufkahr, director of business and financial services, $89,619
• Chris Kaiser, assistant director of technology, $87,040
• Kim Schumacher, director of nursing, $85,000
• Susan Graham, administrative assistant to the superintendent, $71,680
• Ana Juricic, payroll manager, $70,000
• Toni Michalik, custodial manager, $70,000
• Tabitha Schnurbusch, human resource manager, $70,000
• Monica Montgomery, substitute and family medical leave specialist, $69,721
• Jarrett Halley, assistant director of maintenance, $68,313
• Jamie Willis, administrative assistant to assistant superintendents, $64,933
• Mike VanMeter, assistant director of transportation, $61,924
• Kaila Odenwald, assistant director of food service, $60,473
• Michael Ross, assistant director of transportation, $61,924
• Kimberly Pecoraro, benefits and payroll specialist, $57,672
• Czarina Bohler, administrative assistant to director of special education, $55,000
• Caitlin Kiely, hiring specialist, $55,000
• Trey Jimenez, Rickman manager, $45,000

* Indicates employees who will receive an additional $2,500 stipend for having a doctorate degree.

** Indicates employees who will receive another $1,500 stipend for having a master’s degree plus 45 hours or a specialist degree.

*** Indicates employees who will receive an extra $750 stipend for having a master’s degree plus 15 hours.