Teton County School District educators will see nearly $20K salary jump

Wyoming's new funding model boosts salaries, health insurance costs.

JACKSON — This coming school year, the starting salary for a new Teton County School District teacher with a bachelor’s degree will be $87,369 — a nearly $20,000 increase from the current school year.

The Teton County School District Board of Trustees approved a new compensation package last Wednesday for the 2026-27 school year. The package includes sweeping salary raises for a range of staff, including administrators, teachers, bus drivers and maintenance employees. But staff will also face higher health insurance costs.

Stan Morgan, president of the Teton County Education Association, a group that advocates for district employees, called the plan the “best compensation package yet.”

“The last couple of years you’ve probably had to listen to me talk about rising inflation and stagnant wages,” Morgan told trustees May 13. “Congratulations. You do not have to hear that this year.”

“Our staff is really pleased,” he added. “And we really wanted to thank you.”

School district officials and trustees, including Chief Financial Officer Kristen Mayo, have been grappling with next year’s budget after the Wyoming Legislature passed its first “recalibration” bill since 2010 this winter. Senate File 81 fundamentally changed to Wyoming’s K-12 funding model.

Previously, school boards were given money in lump sums and had the authority to decide how to spend it, choosing how to allocate cash to teachers’ pay, as well as technology, supplies and other services.

But the new bill locks in or “silos” funding for educators’ salaries.

School officials, public school advocates and even Gov. Mark Gordon expressed some concerns about that section of the bill. Gordon let the bill become law without his signature, a sign of his discontent, saying that the legislation “disadvantages smaller districts, usurps local authority and fails to address essential operating needs.”

For example, the new funding can’t be used to help with health insurance packages. 

Next school year, some Teton County School District employees will need to make monthly contributions to their health insurance premium. District officials and trustees are hopeful that the raises will be offset the new costs for full-time employees.

The legislation could also force other difficult budget decisions. Recreation and activities funding was cut back and district officials and trustees will need to figure out a plan before the budget is due at the end of the summer.

Overall, Morgan said employees are happy with the plan and understood the compromises that were made regarding compensation and health insurance. He also commended the district’s process for developing the budget and listening to employees.

“I will say that this compensation package is probably one of the most well vetted that I have presented in my tenure,” Mayo said.

Salaries and health insurance — facing some of the biggest changes because of the bill — received a lot of attention from employees, who weighed in on the budget in surveys and attended stakeholder meetings.

“When they really feel like they’ve been heard, and every single one of the people that I’ve spoken to said they felt like they’ve been heard by the administration on this, it makes a huge difference,” he said. “People are being valued and that’s going to pay dividends for this district for a long time.”

Teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors and other certified staff with more educational or work experience in the district will see at least $20,000 jumps in their salaries. Last year, the starting salary for someone with just a bachelor’s degree was $68,369.

Those employees will also have more opportunities for raises with added steps to the salary matrix. For example, a teacher with a bachelor’s degree whose salary now starts at $87,369 could make up to $127,067 after 30 steps, or incremental raises, without having to complete more education or certifications. They previously were capped at seven steps and a salary of $76,796.

As a whole, the salary range for certified and professional staff is now $87,369 to $154,164.

The starting salary for an employee with a master’s degree and no other college credits was $76,977 and is now $100,146. An employee with a doctorate and no other credits previously started at $87,001 and is now set to start at $106,001.

Starting salaries for administrators like principals, directors, coordinators and managers also jumped around $30,000. A coordinator, the lowest paid administrator, is now set to be paid a minimum of $116,045. Executive directors, who run entire departments in the district and report to the superintendent, are now set to start at $176,146.

Aides and paraprofessionals, day care staff, transportation employees, maintenance and operations employees and network and network and data technicians are also receiving raises. Hourly employees like aides, who made $20.75, or bus drivers, who were paid $33.55, are set to receive around $8 more per hour.

“Morale is at an all-time high,” Morgan said.

This story was published on May 20, 2026.