The Wright City R-II School District will participate in the Career Ladder Grant Program for another year.
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The Wright City R-II School District will participate in the Career Ladder Grant Program for another year. This program strives to compensate teachers for work they are doing outside of their regular duties, such as tutoring and volunteering at fifth grade camp.
The program was offered to all school districts in Missouri last year. Wright City is one of the few districts in the region to participate in this program.
“We were on board with it early,” Berger said. “Our motive was to give money to teachers.”
In the 2023-24 school year, 67 teachers in the R-II district are enrolled in the career ladder.
The program has three stages of participation, but schools are not required to take on all three levels. However, Wright City did.
“We felt good about the evaluation and the approval of the career ladder program going into next year,” Superintendent Dr. Chris Berger said.
The three stages of participation vary in hours and annual supplemental pay. Stage one requires teachers to complete 50 hours of volunteering. Stage two requires 75 hours and stage three requires 100 hours.
The program offers teachers in stage one up to $1,500. In stage two, teachers can make up to $3,000 and stage three offers $5,000.
Out of the 67 teachers in this program, 41 participate in stage three.
There are terms of eligibility and what qualifies as an activity. Berger stated that the terms of eligibility are less strict than what the previous program offered before it ended in 2007.
Through Career Ladder, Wright City hopes to achieve 51% of face-to-face Career Ladder hours that supports student learning.
“We are not at that goal yet, but the other things we are doing are important and valuable,” Berger said.
Berger also emphasized that the school board prioritizes academic performance. The board is hoping this program will fuel the academic success of students.
