Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) is proud to be the school division of choice for the most dedicated and innovative educators in Virginia. To continue to recruit and retain the best and brightest in the profession, HCPS offers competitive salaries, outstanding benefits, and opportunities for staff to earn bonuses for the 2022-2023 school year.
HCPS is part of Henrico County’s larger Unified Pay structure which includes all school and local general government employees. To build a better understanding of the pay plan, HCPS has created resources for current and future employees to learn more about placements on the pay scale and funding for salary adjustments. On this page, you will also find answers to frequently asked questions.
Pay Adjustments and Bonuses
Pay Plans and Teacher Salary
Funding for Salary Increases and Bonuses
I am a teacher in Henrico. How is my salary determined?
Your initial salary was determined based upon your years of previous approved teaching experience, degree, and the approved placement chart for the initial year of hire as a teacher.
Okay, what is a teacher placement chart?
The teacher placement chart is the tool that determines the teacher’s starting salary at the time of hire. The teacher placement chart is designed for new hires for that particular school year only. The teacher placement chart is updated every year, so adjustments may occur from year to year.
What makes up the teacher placement chart for external new hires?
What is a step?
Each pay grade on the pay plan consists of a series of steps.
Does a step equate to years of previous teaching experience?
A step does not equate directly to years of experience.
How do I advance steps once hired?
Annually the School Board, in conjunction with the Henrico County Board of Supervisors, approves the financial budget for Henrico County Public Schools. If a salary increase is approved via the budget process, the increase may take the form of a step increase, a wage increase or a combination of both. If it is determined that employees will receive a step increase for the next school year, teachers will advance a step on the salary scale. Step increases are not guaranteed annually
For instance, let’s say you are on Step 2 for this school year. As you are aware, all returning employees received a combination of a step and a wage increase totaling 5.06%. This means that you will advance to a Step 3 for the 2022-2023 school year.
What is the value of a step?
The value of a step is currently equivalent to 2.372%.
What is the value of a wage increase?
The value of a wage increase can vary. The value of the wage increase is determined by our Henrico County Board of Supervisors and School Board. For the 2022-23 school year, the wage increase was 2.628%. So, when you add the 2.372% step increase with the 2.628% wage increase, you received an overall compounded increase of 5.06%.
Where can I find 10 years of salary adjustment history for teachers?
What is the difference between UP and HP? I see these initials before my Pay Grade and Step.
The UP plan is our Unified Pay Plan and is the pay plan for employees hired in Henrico County Government and Schools prior to January 1, 2012. This plan was created to reward employee longevity.
The HP is the Henrico Plan. It is the pay plan for employees hired in Henrico County Government and Schools on and after January 1, 2012.
Does the UP or HP pay plan have any connection with my VRS Retirement Plan?
No, neither the UP nor HP pay plans impact your VRS Retirement Plan.
What is a Pay Grade?
A pay grade is the salary range that corresponds to a specific job classification on a pay plan. A teacher’s pay grade also corresponds to their collegiate degree (bachelor’s or master’s) and National Board Certification status. On our pay plan, a pay grade 29 is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree; pay grade 30 is equivalent to a master’s degree or a bachelor’s degree and National Board Certified Status; and a pay grade 31 is equivalent to a master’s degree plus National Board Certified status.
I have my Doctoral Degree, when can I expect an increase?
Human Resources will be surveying our teachers to request that they provide supporting documentation of their doctoral degrees. After this has been verified by HR staff, 4.8% salary increases will be applied in the Fall.
How do the Henrico teacher salaries and overall compensation compare to other divisions?
Henrico County Public Schools offers competitive salaries for all employees. The school division is a regional pay leader for starting teachers, and in the 2021-2022 school year offered one-time longevity bonuses for teachers with more than 10 years of experience with HCPS.
In addition to salary adjustments, HCPS continues to absorb the rising costs of health care, shielding employees from the increase for the second year in a row. Over the last five years, the County and Schools have absorbed approximately 90% of the increase in health care costs.
Why can’t HCPS grant higher salary increases if they are “funded” by the State?
The Fiscal Year 2022-2023 General Government budget that was recently approved by the Board of Supervisors included about $24.2 million to support 5% raises for eligible HCPS staff and wage increases for others. Meanwhile, the State General Assembly is providing about $9.7 million for compensation increases for positions covered by the Standards of Quality, or SOQs. So, noting that any State funding is subject to the Local Composite Index associated with Henrico’s local ability to pay for public education, less than half of the cost of these 5% raises is covered by State revenue.
Given that the State only funds a portion of the 5% salary increases included in the General Government’s budget, anything additional would have to be entirely funded by local taxpayers on a recurring basis moving forward into the future. Unfortunately the approved budget didn’t allow for higher salary increases, but we will continue to advocate for enhanced compensation for our employees.
