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Red Mtn. football trip/ P. 33
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Sunday, September 11, 2022
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE THE EAST VALLEY) | TheMesaTribune.com
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
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MPS puts windfall toward permanent pay hikes
IT’S TIME TO VOTE
BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer
THEMESATRIBUNE.COM
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teacher who made $66,000 in Mesa Public Schools last year will now be making about $75,000, thanks to a big boost in school funding approved by the state legislature in June. MPS is putting nearly all of its new state funding toward region-leading pay increases for teachers and staff. During a special meeting on Sept. 6, the MPS Governing Board approved a revised compen-
sation plan for the current school year that gives hourly employees a $3-per-hour bump and teachers an annual increase of 5% plus $3,000. The change brings the starting wage for teachers to $53,500, up from the $50,000 approved in the spring. The new minimum wage for hourly employees is $15.60. The pay increase will apply retroactively to the start of the school year. The updated pay plan gives teachers an average salary increase of 10% from last year, 6.95% for school administrators and 5.25%
for superintendents, according to a district memo. Importantly, the plan also puts the raises in the form of permanent adjustments to base pay, rather than one-time retention stipends as the previous plan was partially structured. Substitutes are getting raises, too, and the district is making an investment in special education support by giving aides in the program a $4 per hour raise and increasing hours for two categories of special education assis
see RAISE page 10
Mesa women, benefactor help foster kids thrive
NEWS ......................... 2 Mesa couple experienced 911 horror 21 years ago.
COMMUNITY ........ 20 'Living funerals' pioneered in Mesa. COMMUNITY ............................. 20 BUSINESS .................................. 26 OPINION .................................... 30 SPORTS ...................................... 33 GET OUT ...................................... 36 CLASSIFIED ............................... 40 ZONE 2
BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer
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n old Greek proverb says that a society grows when old men plant trees whose shade they will never sit in. That perfectly sums up the work real estate investors Randy and Dell Loy Hansen are doing for Advocacy, Support & Assistance Now Founders Anika Robinson, Susan Mulhearn and Angela Teachout. The ladies fought back tears, as Randy shared the story. The Hansens have been involved in real estate investing since 1992 and wanted to help a charity that embodied “true volunteerism.” “It’s easy to donate money, it’s easy to donate things,” Randy Hansen said. “But donating your life, that to me is the true gift.”
see GALA page 17
Randy Hansen came to the aid of, rom left, Angela Teachout, Anika Robinson, and Susan Mulheran as they seek to expand their nonprofit, Advocacy, Support & Assistance Now.. The women are planning a gala on Sept. 23 at Falcon Field to further that effort. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)
INDOOR/ OUTDOOR LIVING A TREND THAT’S NEVER OUT OF STYLE
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