VISALIA – Visalia Unified School District board of trustees approved several items surrounding salary for upper management within the district at their last meeting.

On May 23, the Visalia Unified School District (VUSD) board of trustees approved an 8.22% cost of living adjustment (COLA) for the superintendent, assistant superintendents, district managers, classified chiefs and confidential employees for the 2023/2024 school year. This adjustment will be effective July 1, 2023. Additionally the board approved employment agreements with the superintendent and assistant superintendents.

According to public information officer Cristina Gutierrez, the State of California provides a COLA to the districts revenues for a local control funding formula which becomes the basis for available funds for negotiations. The increase for employee salaries and benefits is then subject to negotiations between the district and bargaining teams. The COLA for teachers has not been determined yet.

The approximate financial effects for the COLA will be an ongoing cost of $4,890,468 for the district’s 360 management employees. This change will affect staff who have been employed for at least 75% of the current school year.

The employment contracts the board approved were for superintendent Kirk Shrum, assistant superintendent of educational services Andy Di Meo, assistant superintendent of learning and leadership Mark Thompson and assistant superintendent human resources development Ben Dhillon. Their contracts will be effective July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2027, subject to early termination as provided by the agreement.

Gutierrez said the assistant superintendents are on a five step salary schedule. They advance one step each new fiscal year based on a satisfactory evaluation and board approval of their employment agreement.

As for the superintendent, he will be moving to Step two of the superintendent’s salary schedule which is a base salary of $336,757. That also includes Fringe benefits including a term life insurance policy with a face value of $125,000,  dues to participate in four professional, educational or community service organizations and upon retirement, if eligible, the same annual contribution to benefits as active certificated employees.

Di Meo and Dhillon will move to step two in their salary agreement in which their 2023-2024 base salary will be changed to $248,155. As for Thompson, he will move to step three of the salary agreement, his base salary is now set at $254,970. This includes fringe benefits which according to the agenda packet include a term life insurance policy with a face value of $125,000, dues to participate in one professional, educational or community service organization and upon retirement, if eligible, the same annual contribution to benefits as active certificated employees.