Working in GCSD

As changes in District wide staffing is the main item of discussion, I have been asked by some individuals, “What benefit is there to work in Garfield School District?”  The word “benefit” is a term which may encompass different areas depending on your point of view.  For some it is tied directly to financial status, to others it could mean the opportunity to live in rural Utah next to family and friends.  I will focus on the financial benefits of working in the District.  The average monthly salary for a teacher in Garfield School District with a bachelor’s degree is $2,644.  We fall in the bottom one third of the State in this category, but offer more than Nebo, Cache, Grand, Box Elder, Washington, Wayne, or North Summit in this area.  On the top end of the teacher pay scale, a teacher with a master’s degree in our District, ranks 19th out of 42 districts on the maximum salary pay scale.  All medical insurance is fully funded by the District at no cost to the employee, this is approximately $13,200.  For full time employees, the District also pays into a group life policy valued at $40,000 and long term disability.  All full time employees also receive contributions into the Utah Retirement System and 1.5% of the salary into a 401K plan.  The average total compensation in salaries and benefits for a teacher in Garfield School District is $72, 952 compared to $69,785 on the State average.  I acknowledge the hard work of teachers and staff to ensure a quality education for the students in the District.   Another positive perspective is the median teacher to student ratio in the District is 14.72 students to every teacher; the State median is 21.80 students to one teacher.  This means we have smaller classes in the District which provides more individualized instruction for the student.  The current expenditures per student in the District are $10,618 for FY11 compared to $6,078 in the State of Utah.  These services are provided to the students with a local tax effort in FY 10-11 of .006109, this tax rate puts Garfield lower than 33 other Districts in the State.  I would like to thank the teachers, staff, communities and tax payers for entrusting us with your most precious resource; your children and their education.  I would also like to thank the School Board for their continued support on making difficult decisions to improve the direction of the District for greater academic achievement of all students.

–Superintendent Ben Dalton

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