(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. – A fight over administrator pay is intensifying inside Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) as principals and other top staff push for a 2.95% cost-of-living raise, while several school board members argue the money should instead go to classrooms.
The dispute stems from a July board vote to delay granting cost-of-living adjustments, known as CPI raises, for members of the Administration, Supervisory and Technical (AST) group. Board member Carl Bryan moved to table the raises, and the motion passed 6–1. Since then, administrators have lobbied board members directly, sparking a public clash.
Principals Press for Raises
Several principals contacted board members, calling the decision “divisive and unfair.”
In a lengthy response, board member Bob Tierney rejected their arguments. “The first thing I was taught when I became a Leader in the military is that Leaders eat last,” he wrote. “From your emails it seems like some of you have either forgotten this or have no clue what that means.”
Tierney said freezing administrator raises would cover three-quarters of the cost of long-requested elementary teacher preparation time, a priority he believes is more important than “our Leaders getting a 2.95% CPI increase.” He also pointed to public criticism of bloated administration costs after the district’s failed 2024 referendum.
“Some of your emails that were simply whining and complaining prove to me that what a lot of people in this community think about some of our Leadership is extremely accurate,” Tierney added.
Landry: ‘Admins Could Be the Heroes’
Board member Sabrina Landry also came out against the raises, saying administrators should take the lead in restoring community trust.
“The biggest outcry from the community was the bloating at administration levels,” Landry wrote. “As leaders of our district, you could be the heroes in all of this. Forfeit your CPI increase to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and staff.”
Like Tierney, she said the funds would be better spent on secure school entrances and teacher prep time, two unmet needs following the failed referendum.
Teachers’ Union Adds Pressure
The Kenosha Education Association has joined the fight, blasting what it calls “generous and hidden” administrator perks. KEA president Katherine Montemurro highlighted the district’s AST Agreement, which grants administrators benefits that far exceed those of teachers, including up to 120 sick days (with half paid out at retirement), family health coverage beginning at age 55, and tuition reimbursement worth nearly $17,000.
By comparison, teachers receive only $600 annually in tuition reimbursement and do not qualify for family health coverage until age 62.
Montemurro argued that the money spent on administrator raises could instead fund elementary librarians, substitute pay increases, and additional prep time for teachers. She also criticized the district for never posting the AST Handbook publicly, unlike other Wisconsin districts that publish all employee benefits in a single handbook.
“Imagine receiving all these generous benefits and you don’t even have to demonstrate any sort of competent leadership,” Montemurro said, pointing to staff turnover at several schools under struggling principals.
Next Steps
The school board is expected to revisit the issue at its August 26 meeting. All board members are Democrats, but the vote is expected to be close.
In the meantime, union leaders are urging staff and community members to flood board members with emails and attend the meeting to demand that money be diverted to classrooms instead of administrator raises.
With teachers pressing for more planning time, parents demanding secure school entrances, and administrators defending their paychecks, the August meeting is shaping up to be one of the most contentious of the year.
13 Responses
I have no words. SMH
Finally, a board of any kind with a backbone.
It’s for the children… I call BS! Greed starts at the top let the money go to the students
Another reason to raise city taxes! Kusd is garbage and isn’t worth the money
Hey KEA, how about actually teaching our kids instead of ONLY caring about yourselves?
KEA response = That’s “divisive and unfair”, since we are WAY more important than the 15-20 pests we have to spend time with everyday…
KEA has absolutely NOTHING to do with Administrators, Administration has their own union!
Social Security folks get $2.5 %. These KUSD desk-sitters want 2.95? I guess thier items cost more more now than mine. (and it’s the same item!) Go figure.
Give it to the children!!!!!
The school board did the right thing.
The real issue, though, isn’t 2.95% but rather administrative bloat in KUSD. With fewer schools and students, there needs to be a significant reduction in administration and correspondingly more empowerment of principals and teachers.
Once the administrative “fat” is trimmed then the remaining positions need to be evaluated and determinations made as to the appropriate compensation range. If responsibilities are consolidated and someone takes on more work, then maybe more than 2.95% could be justified. But we won’t know until the bloat is removed. Holding off on pay increases until that happens is sound.
So the public is ok with giving 200-300 teachers that make over 90k a 2.95% raise, but no one else in the AST Group which maybe 150 employees that make less than that a raise? There is more people in this group that are not administrative. Those techs helping run the equipment that start out at 50k do not get a raise?
Please provide the logic to not give raises to them? So a teacher who makes basically $60 an hour and only works 10 months deserves more money that someone working 12 months and less than $40?
There are more than just principals in that group.
A VERY small percent of teaches make over 90K. That would be a Masters +30 in order to make that and they are “capped” out. This is all about Admin, who ALL have masters and already inflated salaries. Not to mention NO teacher in KUSD makes $60 an hour, more like new:$18, mid:$25 and senior:$30-$35. Go look all this stuff which is public record before “spouting off”!!
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe they are asking for a cost of living increase ON TOP of the step
increases they are already getting. So it’s not like they aren’t getting a raise. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m lucky to see a 3% raise alone in any given year, inflation or not!
Here’s an idea, don’t be such a terrible district and people might send their kids there, and you’ll have money.