Daviess County Public Schools employees will receive a 1% raise next school year in addition to their annual step increases after the DCPS Board of Education approved the district’s 2026-27 salary schedule on Thursday.
The approved plan gives all staff a 1% across-the-board raise while also maintaining step increases tied to years of experience. The district is also extending its classified employee salary schedule by one year, increasing the maximum step from 16 years to 17 years of experience.
DCPS Finance Director Sara Harley said the district’s salary schedules are structured so employees receive annual increases based on experience, which generally amount to about 1% each year.
“Everybody’s getting 1% on top of their step increases,” Harley said.
Harley said classified employees — including bus drivers, custodians, and maintenance staff — previously topped out at year 16 on the salary schedule, while certified employees such as teachers topped out at year 21.
“So once you get to the top of that, every single year all you get is whatever overall raise the board gives,” Harley said.
Under the approved changes, classified employees will now top out at year 17.
The raises come as the district prepares for what Harley described as a “very tight budget” for the upcoming fiscal year.
Harley told board members this week that the district is projected to receive less SEEK funding from the state in 2026-27 despite an increase in the SEEK base amount per student.
She said that’s largely due to the state funding formula, which reduces state funding as local property tax assessments increase.
“Our assessments are growing,” Harley said during a board work session discussion. “The subtraction gets larger, and you get less money.”
Harley said the district expects about a $1.7 million increase in local property tax revenue, which helped make the raises possible despite the state funding outlook.
