Recreation director proposes regrading program supervisor, higher seasonal pay to boost recruitment and retention

Travis Farley, the Town of Southborough’s new recreation director, asked the personnel board Jan. 14 to regrade the after-school program supervisor position from Grade 1 to Grade 2 and to update seasonal pay in Schedule C to improve recruitment and retention.

Farley said the after-school role now requires more experience and vendor/parent coordination than before the COVID-19 period, and he proposed adding a 3–5 years’ experience requirement to the program supervisor job description. He also proposed raising the starting hourly rate for seasonal camp counselors to remain competitive with local private-sector employers, suggesting a move from roughly $15–$17 to $16–$18 an hour. “A lot of rec departments are transitioning to that starting at 17, 18, $19 an hour,” Farley said.

The personnel board advised Farley to present the redlined job description to the Recreation Commission at its Jan. 28 meeting; if the commission approves, the personnel board will consider a regrade and schedule change at its February meeting. Board members noted the positions Farley described are program-funded and said any modest registration-fee increases would be handled within program budgets. The board also recommended replacing annual salary columns in Schedule C with hourly rates for seasonal positions to avoid confusion about year-round versus seasonal work.

No formal action was taken by the personnel board on Jan. 14; members agreed on next steps and documentation needed for a regrade request.