The Norfolk School Board announced plans this month to significantly increase members annual salaries from the lowest in the region to the highest.
The resolution, if approved by members and Norfolk City Council, would bump annual member pay from $3,060 to $25,000 and the board chair’s pay from $5,100 to $27,000 beginning in January 2027.
It would take Norfolk from one of the lowest-paid school boards in the region to the highest, based on salary data provided to The Virginian-Pilot by Hampton Roads school districts.
Only the Hampton School Board would match it. The board approved a measure in September to also increase its salaries from $14,723 to $25,000 for members and from $16,395 to $27,000 for the chair.
Norfolk School Board chair Sarah DiCalogero defended the move in an emailed statement, saying salaries have been the same for nearly two decades. The last time salaries were raised, she said the board was appointed rather than elected and was only seven members. According to Pilot archives, serving on the board was voluntary until 1997, when salaries were raised to $3,000 for members and $4,000 for the chair.
“While the ward based system allows for geographic representation on the board, increased compensation could remove financial barriers that may keep some individuals from working families or younger generations from campaigning for the position, thus providing better representation of the communities we serve,” DiCalogero said.
The board will vote on the salary proposal at an upcoming meeting, but a date is not set.
One community member spoke specifically about the raises during a public input hearing earlier in November.
Kate Powell, Tidewater Arts Outreach executive director, supported the plan, saying the district is relatively large, with roughly 26,000 students, and acknowledging that the School Board job was difficult.
Students of color also make up a significant portion of the population, she said. Powell said the school district needed to enact measures to make the School Board representative of that diverse population.
“I believe this compensation plan is one of those steps,” Powell said.
Other Hampton Roads school boards recently raised their salaries or are in the process of raising them. The Hampton School Board approved the same salaries as Norfolk is considering, and pending City Council approval, will raise them in January 2027.
The Virginia Beach School Board voted in 2023 to raise member salaries from $12,000 to $20,000, with the chair making $22,000. That went into effect Jan. 1.
And the Suffolk School Board unanimously voted in January to increase its annual member salary from $10,000 to $15,000 and its chair’s salary from $11,400 to $16,400 starting July 1.
Norfolk’s proposed raises would put School Board salaries in line with Norfolk City Council, where members make $25,000 and the mayor makes $27,000, according to city documents.
Demands on board members have increased just as those on the educational system have increased, DiCalogero said, noting members must have knowledge of governance strategies, data interpretation, finance, community engagement and the ability to navigate a contentious political climate.
“The position demands a lot of hours, often consuming evenings, weekends and days away from work,” DiCalogero said, adding pay should be commensurate with the time put in.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com
