Success Story: SLPs Start at "Master's + 45" on the Salary Schedule

This advancement in lane placement has already yielded positive results—including, but not limited to,

• improved SLP retention;
• increased number of applicants;
• increased acceptance rate of offers; and
• an overall improvement in team morale given this positive trajectory. 

In addition to this Master's + 45 lane placement, our contract also states that all SLPs

• will have their ASHA CCCs reimbursed and
• will be reimbursed for at least one professional development conference per school year (pending budget availability).

What were your greatest challenges? 

We would say that our greatest challenge was the ability to maintain a high level of consistency and persistence in our efforts. It has been years in the making—with incredible effort from several of our team members. The easy path would have been to "give up" and forgo our efforts.

Additionally, there was an ongoing need to defend our profession as [being] different than that of a certified teacher. There was resistance throughout the process of isolating SLPs from the "whole," which negotiations typically rally for.

What advice would you give others? 

We would summarize our success in four keywords:  

1. Representation: Our district SLPs rose to the occasion and stepped up in a variety of forms. We comprised 50% of the Special Education Language Committee during our most recent negotiations. We have three SLPs on our current Workload Committee advocating tirelessly for our profession. We have SLPs attending district-driven committee meetings that include families, administration, staff, and the community. Our voices were heard! Without this representation, none of this would have been possible.
2. Persistence: This was a marathon and not a sprint. As mentioned above, this has been years in the making. Small, incremental changes along the way on committees and during 3-year negotiation cycles have gotten us to where we are today. The consistency and persistence needed to achieve these milestone changes have been challenging yet incredibly rewarding.
3. Data: We all work in schools and understand the importance of data. This process was no different. Examples of the data we collected and shared included, but were not limited to, the number of SLP interviews we had in a school year for open positions and the number of those [interviewees] who declined offers; the number of contractual SLPs and the cost of that versus a district-hired employee; the cost of telepractice interventions that were needed; and the overall impact of SLP staffing shortages on poor retention, compensatory minutes, and potential litigation costs. We made all efforts to keep emotion out of discussions and stick with facts, data, and realities.
4. Tactics: Our negotiation tactics included the phrase, “Go big or go home.” Although we are proud of the most recent advances, it's important to note that we had four to five additional requests. Our requests were presented to our negotiation committee in a concise, organized, and ranked fashion. Under each request were critical bullet points of rationale to support members of the committee at the negotiating table. We wanted them to be as prepared as possible to answer questions and defend our requests.

This summary outlines our successes to the best of our ability. Ultimately, this was a group effort that stood the test of time. We wish you all the best in your efforts toward improved compensation! 

[1] Master's + 45 (or “M + 45”) is an income-level specification which means that the person has earned a master's degree plus 45 graduate hours from an institution approved to do graduate work.