Henrico Schools to expand salary advancement ‘Career Ladder’ to bus drivers, instructional assistants, and more staff

Henrico Schools bus drivers, instructional assistants, and office professionals now will have the opportunity to earn up to a 15% pay increase through the division’s Career Ladder Program, which offers staff free professional development.

Initially launched in 2022 for classroom teachers and other educators, HCPS’ Career Ladder offers 50 different “microcredentials,” short-term courses that are prerequisites for the rest of the program, and several “specializations,” long-term courses that lead to pay increases. Educators can earn up to three separate 4.8% pay increases by completing specializations, which include courses such as “Diverse Learners” and “Trauma-Informed Educators.”

During the past two years, HCPS has awarded more than 1,460 microcredentials to staff, and the number of participants in specialization courses grew from 48 to 125. To date, 100% of staff who applied for the program were accepted.

“Teachers in my district who have participated in this…they share what a game changer this has been for them compared to being in neighboring districts,” Henrico School Board Vice-Chair and Tuckahoe District member Marcie Shea said at a Sept. 12 board meeting. “In both their ability to support their family but also to support fulfilling their personal professional growth, and they said how important both of those things are.”

This month, HCPS leaders will expand the program to create a “classified staff” ladder for office professionals, bus drivers, and IAs, offering new courses that are tailored to their roles, such as “Parent & Community Connections” and “Work-Life Balance.” Most “classified” courses will be three hours long, and for every 48 hours of professional learning, staff members can earn a 2.37% pay increase – with the option to earn six separate 2.37% pay raises in total.

And in January, HCPS will add a “school leaders” ladder for principals, associate principals, and assistant principals, which will have many of the same microcredential and specialization courses currently offered to teachers, as well as the same 4.8% pay increase for up to three specializations.

“This initiative represents a significant investment in Henrico staff and remains the most innovative and ambitious effort for professional learning and educator advancement in the division’s history,” HCPS Chief Learning Officer Lesley Hughes said.

While microcredentials require 20-30 hours of learning, specializations courses span about 32 weeks and mimic the rigor of a graduate school course, but with more practical applications to HCPS. All courses have an in-person component, Hughes said, and are not staff “just clicking through Powerpoints.”

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For many staff members who do not want to go back to school or cannot afford to, the in-house courses can provide graduate-level learning with more applicability to Henrico, Shea said.

“I have a master’s in education, I don’t know to be honest how much that really impacted my instruction….because it was so disconnected from what was happening in the classroom,” she said. “So I love that this is that rigor, but happening alongside what’s happening in the classroom, happening alongside what our focuses are in Henrico.”

Staff members may only take a specialization after completing two microcredentials and must be full-time, non-exempt employees. Teachers and educators must have five years of experience, while school leaders and classified staff members must have three years of experience.

Outside professional learning and certifications that staff have accumulated also can count for credit or for pay increases through the Career Ladder. Both National Board Certification and doctorate degrees will lead to 4.8% pay increases.

However, without previous outside credits, earning their first pay increase likely will take staff members at least one to two years through the ladder. For classified staff, earning the full 15% raise available will likely take at least six years.

HCPS officials also hope to add another employee group, including additional office professionals, transportation-related staff, custodians and other maintenance workers, to the Career Ladder in fall 2025. As of now, all part-time employees are not eligible for the program, but HCPS Superintendent Amy Cashwell said that “nothing’s off the table” as HCPS prepares to continue expanding the ladder.

While other Virginia school divisions have some of the aspects of the program, no other district has implemented a voluntary, division-wide career development program with salary advancements, Hughes said. Participants in the microcredentials and specialization courses have reported an overall satisfaction rate of 99-100%, which Shea credits to HCPS leaders using teacher feedback and requests to develop the program.

“I think that is why it’s so successful, it wasn’t something that was a top-down initiative,” Shea said. “This has really been bred from specifically what our staff has asked for and being responsive, and true conversation and team work together on how to make this happen. That is why we see the high retention rates, that is why we see the high satisfaction rate.”

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Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.