School Police Officers Push for Fairer Pay Under Act 93 Agreement

Salary increases are on the table, but not everyone is happy with how the raises are being divided. At a recent school board meeting, district police officers made their case for a bigger piece of the pie, arguing that their responsibilities deserve a closer look under the district’s Act 93 compensation plan.

Act 93 is a state law requiring school boards to establish written compensation and benefits plans for certain school employees who are not covered by traditional collective bargaining agreements. The district’s plan runs from July 1 through June 30, 2029.

Under the proposed plan, annual raises would vary by salary level. Employees earning more than $100,000 would receive 2% increases each year, those earning between $65,000 and $99,999 would receive 2.25% raises, and employees earning less than $65,000 would receive 2.5% increases.

But for district police officers, the issue goes beyond percentages. It is about whether the pay reflects the work.

One Police Force, Different Challenges

John Remaley, the district’s supervisor of safe schools, urged the board to reconsider the agreement, saying the compensation structure should better account for the differences between elementary and secondary school police assignments.

Elementary school officers earn salaries comparable to patrol officers across the Lehigh Valley, averaging about $67,000 annually. However, it's argued that officers assigned to middle and high schools face a different set of challenges.

Larger student populations, older students, arrests, juvenile court proceedings, parental conferences, and threat assessment meetings all add to the workload, according to Remaley. He believes those added responsibilities should come with additional compensation.

In other words, while all district officers wear the badge, their day-to-day responsibilities can look very different depending on where they are assigned.

The Numbers Tell a Story

To make his case, Remaley pointed to existing pay differences among other positions covered by previous Act 93 agreements.

According to his figures, secondary school principals earn approximately 11% more than elementary school principals, while head custodians at secondary schools receive about 15% more than their elementary school counterparts.

So why not apply a similar approach to school police officers?

Remaley suggested that secondary school officers should earn approximately 13% more than their elementary school counterparts. He called on the board to revisit the agreement and develop a compensation plan that better reflects differences in job duties and responsibilities.

His message was clear: fairness should account for the work employees actually perform, not just their job titles.

Arrests, Accidents, and More Than Just Hallway Duty

District police officer James Siegfried added some real-world numbers to the discussion. He reported handling 31 arrests and three automobile accidents involving student drivers at the high school during the 2025–2026 school year.

Those figures offered a glimpse into the range of situations school police officers may encounter beyond routine school security.

A Difficult Decision for the Board

The board did not publicly debate the officers’ concerns during the meeting, but board President Jodi Hess acknowledged that the agreement was not an easy decision.

Her role requires her to consider the district’s overall needs, even when she may disagree with certain provisions of an agreement. She emphasized the importance of finding a way forward while recognizing that the plan was not perfect in her eyes.

Looking ahead, Hess said she would like to explore separating some employee groups from the broader Act 93 agreement.

The bottom line: The debate raises a bigger question about how school districts determine fair compensation when employees covered by the same agreement have very different responsibilities. For district police officers, the hope is that future discussions will give those differences the attention they believe they deserve.