News Release

The Montgomery County School Board Approves Superintendent Dr. Tiffany Anderson's Budget Recommendation to Provide an Average Compensation Increase to Montgomery County Staff Above 8.6% and to Increase School Nurses to Full Days at All Schools

The Montgomery County School Board last night voted unanimously to approve Superintendent Dr. Tiffany Anderson’s budget recommendation for an average compensation increase of above 8.6 percent for all employee groups. The Board also approved the recommendation to increase nursing hours in all school buildings to full day hours. 

Montgomery County has placed a priority on making salaries competitive for staff and ensuring that students are the first priority.  The “Student’s First” theme has been a longstanding theme for the School Board and Superintendent Anderson.  “I’m so excited about having full day nurses at all schools to support our students.  After making progress in getting nurses for the entire day at all elementary schools in my first year, expanding this effort to all middle and high schools will benefit our students and staff greatly. Staff members often care for students when a nurse is not available.  We have been focusing on health and wellness initiatives over the last two years, and the Board’s approval of full day nurses really supports our health and wellness goals for everyone.”

The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors approved the School Board budget at their meeting on April 28, 2008.  The increase for the school operating budget from the County General Fund is $1,718,539.  This increase added to the increases in state, federal, and local funds increased the district’s school budget by 8.52 percent.  While the budget request was not fully funded, the superintendent recommended adjustments to keep the areas of compensation and nurses a priority.

Montgomery County is a leader in many areas. It has also become a leader in the recruitment of diverse staff. The school division is now beginning to make progress in salaries as well.  “The heart of our work lies within the people we have,” stated Dr. Anderson.  Montgomery County was featured in a 2005 article in the Roanoke Times on the diversity initiatives for staff recruitment that were implemented to enable the district to improve in recruiting more teachers and administrators from diverse backgrounds.  This year, the human resources department was notified by the Virginia Department of Education that the district’s highly qualified teacher rate was above 99 percent. Salaries have been a longstanding area of concern as Montgomery County Public Schools has been ranked near the bottom in salary rankings in Virginia.  Last night’s decision to provide an average compensation increase of 8.6 percent to staff and continue to implement the second year of the superintendent’s recommended three-year compensation plan for custodians significantly increases staff salaries and most especially addresses custodial/maintenance salaries. The school division is expecting that this salary increase may well be the largest salary increase for school staff in Virginia.