How to ask for a raise?

Beltaine

I'm still working on a resume for the purpose of seeking other employment, but in the meantime I was considering asking for a raise in salary.

I have worked for my employer (a public school system) for 10 years.

I am the Network Technician for all 5 schools in the county. I have a supervisor who is paid 25% of his salary from the Technology budget, and therefore spends 25% of his time or less helping me. I am it, I'm the man, I'm the one on everyone's shit list when they can't print, can't turn on their computer, or can't figure out their iPad.

When I started we had 5 servers and around 150 computers that pretty much just ran Office, Email, and a couple of schoolwide applications. Now we have 18 servers, Nearly 400 computers/cell phones/iPads, full wireless networking in all 5 schools, and two dozen 3rd party applications that I have to support.

When I was hired, my starting salary was the same as a first year teacher's salary + $2k. Now my salary is $500 LESS THAN a first year teacher's and I've been here for 10 years. A 10 year teacher makes $5k more than I do.

Technically, I feel like I should be making the salary of a 10-year teacher +$2k.

I have no idea how to go about doing this, how to approach it, or what, if any, unspoken rules there are for such a thing. I just know I barely have the funds to pay all my bills every month and keep food on the table. I'm doing what I can to pay down some debts but it's really slow going and some extra salary would really help.

Enc

Short answer: On the public salary, you don't. The only way up in pay is to take another posting.

Long answer: Raises are incredibly difficult to justify through the US Public school system for faculty or staff (I know from experience). You can try and get a special pay increase based upon service and skill, but what would be required generally is a higher degree or other pay-raising certification plus the backing of all of your superiors up to the human resources that runs your school (usually with the county education board). Many times, an employer will start this process for you only to have it fizzle 6 to 8 months later once it reaches HR, wasting a good amount of your time. Your best shot is to find a higher paying IT position with a similar education or public sector background and try to either transfer or get hired on that way.

bowen

How willing are you to barter? Are you willing to take on additional responsibilities, even if you're already doing them, on paper? Meaning, a reshaping of your responsibilities for more pay. You may think you're worth XYZ, but this is all how you market yourself. You will probably need to change companies to get what you're looking for.

WildEEP

Public school systems are regulated entities - either by the city, the county, or the state. Odds of them having any say-so in your compensation package is very minimal. You may be able to make such a case to whatever regulating board is responsible for pay..but....you've worked in the bureaucracy for 10 years..you know what the odds are and how long that would take.
Its time to polish off the resume and consider moving up/out. You've already started with your intro:
Responsible for 18 servers, 400 desktops, wireless devices, cellular devices, networking infrastructure, software applications out the wazoo.
Type it up and send it out. Worse thing that happens? You keep making what you're making. Best thing that happens? You land some insane-o job that pays you 10x as much.

a5ehren

Enc wrote:

Short answer: On the public salary, you don't. The only way up in pay is to take another posting.

Long answer: Raises are incredibly difficult to justify through the US Public school system for faculty or staff (I know from experience). You can try and get a special pay increase based upon service and skill, but what would be required generally is a higher degree or other pay-raising certification plus the backing of all of your superiors up to the human resources that runs your school (usually with the county education board). Many times, an employer will start this process for you only to have it fizzle 6 to 8 months later once it reaches HR, wasting a good amount of your time. Your best shot is to find a higher paying IT position with a similar education or public sector background and try to either transfer or get hired on that way.

This is pretty much it. In most places, tax revenues are way down and I doubt they have the money to give you a raise even if they wanted to.

Edit: Based on your numbers and what I know of teacher salaries (aka they're pretty low), you're wanting a pretty substantial raise percentage-wise. ($7K of a first-year teaches salary is what, 15%?) You're going to have a really really hard time getting that kind of raise without changing jobs.

bowen

You might get lucky and they might match benefits and the raise if you put in your notice. Though keep this in mind because if they didn't want to give it to you when you thought you were worth it, chances are they might replace you asap and are buying time.

Beltaine

See that's the thing. Whenever other people in the county get responsibilities tacked onto them, they get stipends added to their salary.

If we get a new mobile lab of 50 laptops, I get the new responsibility of loading and maintaining 50 more computers, but hey, "computers is computers and that's what that nerdy computer fella does already."

Enc

bowen wrote:

How willing are you to barter? Are you willing to take on additional responsibilities, even if you're already doing them, on paper? Meaning, a reshaping of your responsibilities for more pay. You may think you're worth XYZ, but this is all how you market yourself. You will probably need to change companies to get what you're looking for.

Downside is that there is no negotiation in most Public Sector positions, as there is no real autonomy when it comes to the money (unless you are at the top). Job titles are pre-crafted and regardless of how many duties are added on, it is very difficult to convince an HR board that your job is not what you were hired on for. Someone hired on for the duties of running a single server that ends up running dozens will not be viewed differently as he is still running servers. That's the job, it gets paid this amount, regardless of how much the actual work has grossly increased from hire.

It's complete crap, most times. But unless you change the actual type of work you are doing, the quantity means little to nothing in the public sector.

bowen wrote:

You might get lucky and they might match benefits and the raise if you put in your notice. Though keep this in mind because if they didn't want to give it to you when you thought you were worth it, chances are they might replace you asap and are buying time.

This. If you tell them you are looking, they will find a way to fire you and hire someone for less. Another problem with the public sector, particularly in Education, the money only gets less.

djia977

have you thought of using force?

MegaMan001

The guys above me nailed it. Your chances of getting a raise through any public job (that does not already have contractual wage increases) is slim to none.

Polish the resume, send it out, see what happens. A guy with 10 years of experience with handling multiple servers, devices, and departments (key word: people) sounds pretty marketable to me.

If you get a great offer let your school district know and if they want to match it, you'll stay, but right now you're woefully underpaid and looking to move up.

Beltaine

djia977 wrote:

have you thought of using force?

Passwords must be reset every 24 hours, must be 256 characters in length, and must be unique.

Nope, never thought of that.

bowen

That much experience you'd be a sysadmin anyways. Wayyyyy more than a teacher's wage unless the teacher's been there all their life and has tenure, and a union, and a pension.

The Crowing One

bowen wrote:

That much experience you'd be a sysadmin anyways. Wayyyyy more than a teacher's wage unless the teacher's been there all their life and has tenure, and a union, and a pension.

As much as it pains me to say this, you should run from public service if you're concerned about salary.

Infidel

I worked this job.

I moved to private sector where I could negotiate a salary.

(Then I went back to school and bailed on IT altogether.)

Beltaine

Infidel wrote:

I worked this job.

I moved to private sector where I could negotiate a salary.

(Then I went back to school and bailed on IT altogether.)

THIS is what I'd like to do.

I'd go back for Graphic Design and open my own Photog/Design studio.

It's been so long since I've been in the market for employment, guess I'm just gonna have to bite the bullet and do it.