Teacher Compensation at MCS

In light of two of our teachers moving on to new schools this summer, a number of parents have asked me if it was due to our compensation package for teachers. In this light, I wanted to share our MCS compensation plan to help you understand how we are attracting and retaining our teachers (who I believe are the heart and soul of what makes MCS a great place for our kids). Here are some points that will shed light on the topic:

• When I arrived in 2008, we had no retirement plan in place of any kind, all teachers made somewhere around $30,000, and we paid health benefits for the individual. We had trouble attracting certified staff to the school.
• As enrollment grew from 2008-2012, we were able to improve salary. We had attracted some solid teachers by posting our positions to a national website and recruiting out-of-state for people interested in living in Moab for the lifestyle and outdoor culture. And they have stayed with us because of the culture of our school.
• Over the past two years, we moved from 70 students to 127 enrolled this fall. This has essentially doubled our funding from the state (which is based on student counts on October 1). 
• This past school year (2012-2013), we paid each teacher $34,000 plus $3,000 bonuses each. We provided health benefits for the individual, and we finally put into place a 401(k) plan.
• The current 401(k) plan that we put into place last fall matches up to 4% of an employee's contributed salary at a $1 to $1 ratio. So, if I put in 4% of my salary, MCS matches what I contribute at $1 for $1. It's not spectacular, but it is a start. Our plan going into the fall and future years is to improve this 401(k) plan by increasing the percentage match (we can go as high as 6%) and to increase the match ratio (for example, we might match $1.50 for every $1 the employee puts into the plan). As we improve this 401(k), it should become competitive with many other charter schools. 
• Traditional districts mainly participate in their state-operated retirement plans. These basically say, put in 30 years with us, and we will base your retirement on the 3-5 highest years of pay, your contribution rates, the number of years in our system, and the age at which you retire. You are then provided an annual income each year for the remainder of your life. Most state employees enjoy such plans. Most charters do not participate in the Utah Retirement System like districts. The idea is, charters are different, its very costly to be in the URS, and many people like the 401(k) model because the employee is in control of their investments if they want to be. So, as MCS improves the 401(k) plan here, we should become competitive within the charter world. Teachers who want to be in state retirement systems typically don't work in the charter system. It's a decision every teacher has to make if they are considering working in the charter world.
• Salaries for the Fall 2013: We have increased salaries for teachers at MCS from $34,000 to $38,000 going into this fall, and we plan to continue to build on this. This makes us very competitive within the state of Utah and with many other states. We will also make some improvements to the 401(k) and continue paying the full individual health benefits. In addition, this past year, we added paying for each employee's family Pool and Gym pass at the Moab Aquatic and Recreation Center. 
• Looking at the local Grand County School District salary scale (http://www.grand.k12.ut.us/districtoffice/html/salaryschteachers.html), a teacher making $38,000 at MCS is equivalent to a teacher at GCSD who has a Bachelors and 7 years experience, a teacher with a Bachelors plus 30 credit hours and 6 years experience, a teacher with a Masters and 4 years of experience, or a teacher with a PhD and 3 years of experience. Currently, we don't structure our salary schedule like a traditional school with "steps and lanes" for educational levels and years of experience. This is a direction we might head in the future. 
• Future improvements: I would like us to move in the direction of increasing salaries for teachers, providing health benefits to the entire family of teachers, and improving the 401(k) plan. As our enrollment grows, we will be able to do many of these things and to continue improving compensation for our teachers. As we stand going into the fall, MCS has a strong position within the charter world - we have a sound compensation system in place for the first time, and we have plans and the means to continue improving this system.
• Working in a charter school, especially one as small as MCS, requires a certain type of adventurous spirit. With my doctorate and experience and skills, I might easily be in a district or university setting making much more money with better benefits and a stronger retirement. However, I love MCS and the adventure of being here. I think the teachers here at MCS would tell you the same: "Yes, better pay would be great, but I'm here because I love this school." 
• Over the past 3 years, we haven't lost a single teacher, and as we look to replace two teachers this fall who are moving to new schools, we have several excellent candidates among whom we will have to choose. They really, really want to come to our school after reading about it online. They really, really want to come to Moab because they love our outdoors lifestyle. I am excited about where we have come as a school, and I am excited for the new teachers coming to join us this summer. 

It is my understanding that after 3 years of not losing any teachers, we are losing one teacher who wants to be in the Utah Retirement System and another who wants to live closer to family. As we move forward, I expect us to have similar such staff retention. We might go several years with no changes, and then we might have a year with a couple of teachers moving on. It's the life of a school. What you will see, though, is more and more staff staying with us for even longer stretches because of three things: (1) They love the culture of the school with so many parents involved, the freedom to be innovative and creative at MCS, and the great students and staff; (2) The improving compensation; (3) The wonderful culture in Moab that provides such excellent weather and outdoors opportunities. 

Utah State University Jazz Band

We had the special opportunity this morning to host the USU Jazz bands formed by the faculty and the students. They were in town as part of USU's program to send their music talent out to extension campus sites and towns. The student and faculty group spent time at the high school, the middle school, and at Moab Charter School. We were delighted to have an hour of their time as they took all of our students through the past 90 years of Jazz music, beginning with a piece from 1917. The student group introduced our kids to the individual instruments, and both groups entertained questions from the kids. We loved the experience.

 The USU faculty group performing.

The USU student group performing.

Wellness Week

Our great Parent Council has put together a full week of wellness visits from people in our community. To kick things off on Monday, we had a visit from the Diet and Nutrition expert at the Moab Valley Regional Hospital, Janel Arbon. My favorite part of the presentation included her pouring bags of sugar into clear cups standing in front of fruit juices, sodas, cereal boxes, etc. to show how much sugar we consume with each of these popular items.

Janel Arbon presenting a diet and nutrition lesson to the MCS students.

BEACON After-School Program

Trimester 3 begins on Monday, and we have a new round of BEACON After-School clubs to offer:

• Taiko drumming - Ms. Sheila - Grades 3-6 - Mondays
• Roller Skating - Ms. Jessica - Grades K-6 - Tuesdays
• Youth Garden Project - YGP - Grades 4-6 - Wednesdays 
• Student Council - Ms. Chelsi - 3-6 - Wednesdays
• Youth Garden Project - YGP - Grades 2-3 - Thursdays
• Knitting - Ms. Jessica - K-4 - Thursdays
• Board Games - Ms. Liz - K-6 - Fridays
• Yoga - Ms. Andrea - K-6 - Fridays
• Tutoring - 1st-6th is every Tuesday and Thursday by teacher invitation. 

We hope your kids are enjoying the clubs and tutoring this year. We thank all of the teachers and parents who put so much time into this program. And we are grateful for our partnership with the school district for the BEACON program. 

I Love to Read

This month we are celebrating reading with a variety of activities at Moab Charter School. Students are counting reading minutes towards a big reward party; people from the community are coming in to read to the students; and students are hopefully connecting fun and unique experiences with the value of reading often. This week, we had visitors from the community come in and read. Thank you to the following for stepping out of their busy days to visit our students!

Mayor Dave

Officer Steve - Moab City Police

Laura Brown - Moab Music Festival Director

Kammy Wells - Moab Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director

 Officer Steve from the Moab City Police reading to the K-2 students.

Moab City Mayor Dave reading to the 3rd-6th graders.

Valentines Day Tea

A tradition that was started prior to my arrival as Director in 2008 is the Moab Charter School Valentines Day Tea. Former teacher, Peggy O'Reilly, kept the special event going during her time with us, and our wonderful Parent Council has picked up where she left off and carried the day for several years. This year, Jana Knowles took care of overseeing the event and making sure volunteers were in place, fliers were made, and the schedule for families created. Thanks Jana and all the Parent Council volunteers who helped! Basically, the cafeteria is transformed into a small cafe by standing our gym mats on end and decorating with student art. Tables are brought in and decorated, menus created, and students act as servers. Every student has a family member (or sometimes the entire family!) visit them at a scheduled time during the day to order drinks and refreshments and have a half hour or so together to visit and chat. It's one of my favorite days at MCS. 

 Entrance to the cafe.

 Inside the cafe.

 Ruben was one of our student servers today. He even wore a nice button up shirt for the occasion, complete with a servers apron. Of course the hat stayed on.

 Parent volunteers and student server, Remy, filling orders from the treats provided by parents.

 The wonderful Jana Knowles filling drink orders - coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice, and milk. Jana ran the show this year!

The Thomas family enjoying their time in the MCS Cafe. 

New Safety Gate

As we promised last December, we have installed safety gates and fencing at the front of campus. In the coming days, we will affix signs directing people to the Main Office via the two "real" front doors of the brick house. The fence includes two gates: a large gate to still allow fire truck access per state code and to allow meals to be delivered for lunches; a second smaller gate will be open before and after school but locked during school hours. We realize that other fences around the property need repair and upgrades, and we will address those soon.