Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind tables a decision about proposed salary changes

On Thursday night, board members for the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind, known as ASDB, tabled a decision about proposed salary changes.

The school has pointed to a growing budget deficit as the reason behind the decision. Critics say the move will deter experienced teachers from applying there.

ASDB uses a salary schedule that pays teachers more money based on their level of education and years of experience. That scale used to go up to 25 years, but under the new schedule, teachers would only be rewarded for up to 10 years of experience. It brings the top base salary down from $105,700 to $65,897.

That seemed to set off alarm bells for board member Michael Gordon.

“So literally, somebody who has a doctorate who’s been there 10 years, is gonna make 66-grand?” asked Gordon.

Gordon said with schools already struggling to recruit qualified teachers, he doesn’t see that being realistic. With new contracts going out Friday and teachers having 30 days to sign, the board hopes to get more information and call an emergency meeting to make a decision on the change.

ASDB board documents say the change will only affect new hires and not impact pay for current employees.

“While that may be a nice statement, I think there's a level of trust that has been abridged,” said William Koehler, a former ASDB board member.

Koehler resigned from his position on the board in February after other members voted to move the Tucson campus to a new location.

“There were actions that were being taken by the board that conflicted with information and data that I had,” Koehler said.

He said the salary changes may discourage seasoned educators from working at ASDB.

“What this is saying is that we don't want to hire anybody that has all that experience,” Koehler said. “We're going to be hiring them, but we're certainly not going to compensate them for it.”

Koehler said experienced teachers are what makes ASDB special.

“You have teachers that are there for longer periods of time [and] because they're there, they gain more skills, more expertise, more insights into how to work with children who have all these special needs,” Koehler said.

In an email to KJZZ, ASDB Communications Manager Maria Murphy said:

“To ensure the fiscal stability of ASDB, our Board of Directors will be voting on a salary schedule for the 2026-2027 school year at our bimonthly meeting on Thursday, March 12. The proposed salary schedule affects new hires starting July 1, 2026. The current salary schedule remains active to honor approved grade advancements for the current teaching staff.”

The Arizona Education Association said the proposal raises serious questions about whether the board is committed to the recruitment and retention of educators serving some of Arizona’s highest-need students.

ASDB serves about 2,000 students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind from birth to grade 12 across seven locations.