Mexico teachers could see a $1,000 increase to their base salaries.

At the Feb. 17 Mexico School District Board of Education Meeting, Amber Henderson, director of human resources, presented the tentative salary schedule to the board for review.

Superintendent Troy Lentz confirmed that surveys taken at the District’s “Let’s Talk Finance" night revealed that teacher salaries and benefits are a top priority for stakeholders.

“I feel like people are locked into having a series of thoughtful conversations around spending down the reserves,” Superintendent Troy Lentz said. “I think deficit spending is scary, but I also appreciate that people want to invest in our employees and take care of them with salaries and benefits.”

The salary for a first year teacher for the 2025-2026 school year was $42,700. The proposed salary schedule will cost the district approximately $369,170. As retention is one of Lentz’s priorities, this year’s salary schedule will also likely include an additional $25 increase to steps for teachers who have been in the district for more than 10 years.

“I feel like the proposal was supported, but I felt like there was an appropriate level of concern about not letting our finances and our expenditures get too far ahead of our revenues,” Lentz said.

He added that unless some bad news comes out of this legislative session, he feels comfortable with the investments. His main concern is House Bill 2780, a proposal to reform property taxes. If enacted, the district would lose $709,585.

This year’s schedule included one additional column for teachers of record, or uncertified teachers who are working towards their credentials. In the proposed schedule, teachers of record would make the same base pay as certified teachers with a bachelor’s degree.

Henderson said the district’s expectation is that individuals working toward their certification will have it completed in two years and are able to provide progress updates throughout the process.

“We’re trying to find an incentive to get everybody to that certification that DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) does require,” she said.

Of the district’s 188 teachers, 47 are not certified. According to the proposed salary schedule, teachers of record who have not completed their certification by year five will be frozen at a base salary of $45,800 until it is complete.

“Some of it is just driven by the reality of the job market in public education right now,” Lentz said. “If you have a salary schedule that looks punitive to somebody without a certification, they may not choose your district.”

Jon Calhoun, a board member, raised his concern for perceived unfairness by teachers with degrees who are getting paid the same as those without a certificate.

“Generally, that doesn’t cause very many problems,” Lentz said. “I don’t have very many teachers expressing resentment over that. I think what we’re trying to do is address the unfairness but still do it in a way that provides some grace and support to people who are working towards getting their certification.”