Richland 2 public commenters press board to raise pay, improve staffing amid budget talks
March 15, 2025 | Richland 02, School Districts, South Carolina
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Dozens of employees and contractors addressed the Richland School District 2 board during the public input session on the 2025–26 budget, urging higher pay and changes to staffing that they said are needed to recruit and retain qualified staff.
The comments opened with Dawn McAdams, coordinator for health services for Richland School District 2, who outlined staffing needs and pay disparities among school nurses. “School nursing is not for the faint of heart,” McAdams said, describing the scope of school nurse responsibilities from immunization audits and individualized health plans to life‑threatening emergencies. She said the district currently has 37 full‑time registered nurses with one vacancy and 12 guest nurses. McAdams requested higher experience credit on the nursing salary schedule, pay for advanced degrees and national certification, an increase in guest nurse pay and additional RNs so high schools would have two RNs each and a lead nurse to support mentorship and retention.
Public commenters representing other groups asked the board to revise pay and supplement policies as part of the 2025–26 budget. Board‑certified behavior analyst Tori Vate told the board BCBAs in Richland 2 are paid on a teacher scale despite additional training and certification and that district hourly rates for BCBAs “are around $40 an hour” while staffing agencies charge the district about $45 an hour; she noted comparable clinical BCBA salaries in the region start near $80,000. Melissa Gerald, another district BCBA, said she and colleagues have more than 30 years of combined special‑education experience in the district and asked that compensation be adjusted to reflect market rates and the district value of continuity of care.
Multiple student activities directors urged higher extracurricular stipends. Lisa Ellis, student activities director at Blythewood High School, said the district’s extracurricular supplements had not increased in more than 24 years and argued that rising responsibilities and a teacher shortage make it difficult to find advisers. “When we fail to fairly compensate them for extracurricular sponsorships, we send the message that their time outside the classroom is not valued,” Ellis said. Several other directors — including Ashley Truss of Westwood High School, Regina Germany Cherry of Richland Northeast High School and Paige Fennell of Ridgeview High School — described months‑long event planning, community engagement and additional duties that they said are not reflected in current stipends and urged the board to increase supplements.
Esther Clavo, a certified guest teacher and former classroom teacher, asked the board to pay certified guest teachers the certified daily rate on day one of service. She said a new vendor scale this summer reduced the pay gap between certified guest teachers and substitutes without certifications, and she urged the district to “change how we value guest teachers by paying us our certified daily rate on day 1 of service.”
Speech‑language pathologist Ashley Patton said the district currently has six SLP vacancies posted and faces rising caseloads and more complex student needs. She asked the board to adopt a professional salary schedule for SLPs that aligns with other related service providers in the district to help recruitment and retention.
Speakers repeatedly tied compensation requests to student services and continuity of care. McAdams cited 73,000 health‑room visits reported through February and said the district’s pediatric emergency department sees 67,000 annually, noting the high volume handled by school nurses. Several speakers also said hiring through agencies and high market demand make local recruitment difficult and recommended targeted salary adjustments, recognition for advanced credentials and additional staffing lines.
Board members acknowledged the comments and noted the requests are being considered as the administration works on the coming year’s budget. The public input session on the 2025–26 budget concluded after roughly an hour of testimony; the board has scheduled an additional input session at 5 p.m. March 25.
The requests from nurses, BCBAs, student activities directors, guest teachers and SLPs were presented as budget priorities rather than enacted policy changes; no formal vote on new compensation measures occurred during the meeting.
The comments opened with Dawn McAdams, coordinator for health services for Richland School District 2, who outlined staffing needs and pay disparities among school nurses. “School nursing is not for the faint of heart,” McAdams said, describing the scope of school nurse responsibilities from immunization audits and individualized health plans to life‑threatening emergencies. She said the district currently has 37 full‑time registered nurses with one vacancy and 12 guest nurses. McAdams requested higher experience credit on the nursing salary schedule, pay for advanced degrees and national certification, an increase in guest nurse pay and additional RNs so high schools would have two RNs each and a lead nurse to support mentorship and retention.
Public commenters representing other groups asked the board to revise pay and supplement policies as part of the 2025–26 budget. Board‑certified behavior analyst Tori Vate told the board BCBAs in Richland 2 are paid on a teacher scale despite additional training and certification and that district hourly rates for BCBAs “are around $40 an hour” while staffing agencies charge the district about $45 an hour; she noted comparable clinical BCBA salaries in the region start near $80,000. Melissa Gerald, another district BCBA, said she and colleagues have more than 30 years of combined special‑education experience in the district and asked that compensation be adjusted to reflect market rates and the district value of continuity of care.
Multiple student activities directors urged higher extracurricular stipends. Lisa Ellis, student activities director at Blythewood High School, said the district’s extracurricular supplements had not increased in more than 24 years and argued that rising responsibilities and a teacher shortage make it difficult to find advisers. “When we fail to fairly compensate them for extracurricular sponsorships, we send the message that their time outside the classroom is not valued,” Ellis said. Several other directors — including Ashley Truss of Westwood High School, Regina Germany Cherry of Richland Northeast High School and Paige Fennell of Ridgeview High School — described months‑long event planning, community engagement and additional duties that they said are not reflected in current stipends and urged the board to increase supplements.
Esther Clavo, a certified guest teacher and former classroom teacher, asked the board to pay certified guest teachers the certified daily rate on day one of service. She said a new vendor scale this summer reduced the pay gap between certified guest teachers and substitutes without certifications, and she urged the district to “change how we value guest teachers by paying us our certified daily rate on day 1 of service.”
Speech‑language pathologist Ashley Patton said the district currently has six SLP vacancies posted and faces rising caseloads and more complex student needs. She asked the board to adopt a professional salary schedule for SLPs that aligns with other related service providers in the district to help recruitment and retention.
Speakers repeatedly tied compensation requests to student services and continuity of care. McAdams cited 73,000 health‑room visits reported through February and said the district’s pediatric emergency department sees 67,000 annually, noting the high volume handled by school nurses. Several speakers also said hiring through agencies and high market demand make local recruitment difficult and recommended targeted salary adjustments, recognition for advanced credentials and additional staffing lines.
Board members acknowledged the comments and noted the requests are being considered as the administration works on the coming year’s budget. The public input session on the 2025–26 budget concluded after roughly an hour of testimony; the board has scheduled an additional input session at 5 p.m. March 25.
The requests from nurses, BCBAs, student activities directors, guest teachers and SLPs were presented as budget priorities rather than enacted policy changes; no formal vote on new compensation measures occurred during the meeting.
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