Develop an Action Plan

Salary Supplement Action Plan

If you’re ready to advocate for salary supplements in your school district or state, start by creating an action plan. This action plan is broken into three steps:

Gather facts and data to support your request.
Develop a proposal (for local district efforts) or work with your state association to develop a state advocacy plan (for state efforts).
Prepare for a meeting with decision makers.

Local District Efforts: Gather Facts and Data

First you need to research anything that will help you build a case for salary supplements. Consult with other audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in neighboring districts, educational consultants, payroll and human resources staff, administrators, your union, or any other potential sources. You want to gather data that demonstrates the need for salary supplements, so anything about current pay rates, recruitment and retention, Medicaid funds practitioners are bringing into your district, or other related topics are useful.

Many teachers receive supplements based on National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification. ASHA’s Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) can also enable you to achieve a comparable supplement. Consider reaching out to your State Education Advocacy Leader (SEAL), who may have additional information on current state and local salary supplement efforts. SEALs are appointed by state speech-language-hearing associations to advocate for education issues.

Local District Efforts: Develop Your Proposal

Once you have gathered your data, you will need to organize it in a logical and succinct way. Developing a proposal to share with decision makers will help you organize your facts, state your request, and defend your argument. Your proposal should include the following:

A proposed action, or what you are requesting from decision makers (i.e., to make salary supplements available in your school district to SLPs, audiologists, or both).
If an annual supplement to your salary doesn’t seem like it will be approved, consider asking for funding to cover your licensing/certification fees, continuing education fees (such as conference attendance), or membership fees to ASHA and/or your state association.
Share information from the data sources mentioned above and utilize ASHA’s Schools Survey data. For example, in ASHA’s 2024 Schools Survey: SLP Annual Salaries and Hourly Wages report [PDF], SLPs reported receiving supplements based on their CCCs with amounts ranging from $1,250 to $2,250.

Advocating for a supplement at the district level can be an easier and quicker process than advocating at the state level, which may take years and often involves the support of a paid lobbyist.

State Efforts: Work With Your State Association

For state salary supplement efforts, join your state speech-language-hearing association (if you’re not already a member) and check to see if they have an advocacy or schools committee working on this issue that you may be able to join. Check with your state association’s SEAL to see if they are also working on this.

Then, in conjunction with your state association’s leadership, analyze your state's potential for change. Here are some questions to consider:

Are salary supplements a priority for the state association at this time given other pressing legislative and regulatory concerns impacting the professions?
Is a grassroots advocacy campaign needed for practitioners in your state to garner support and focus on this issue before legislation is introduced?
Has legislation been introduced in the past? If so, what prevented it from passing?
Is a grassroots advocacy campaign needed for legislators in your state? If so, work with your state association to have a Capitol Hill Day and schedule visits to legislators’ offices to highlight the importance of this issue. ASHA student advocacy and state association grants can be used to support Hill Day visits. The state association’s lobbyist may be able to provide a briefing on the bill and the legislative process before your meetings.
Will the key legislators and governor support passage of the bill?
Is the political climate right for passage of the bill?
Are there state budgetary constraints that may impact the passage of the bill?
Who would be a legislative champion to sponsor the bill?
Is a lobbyist needed for these efforts, and does the state association have the financial resources to use them? ASHA state association grants can be used to support this.
Who might oppose the bill and what are their concerns (both internal and external to the state association)?
Who might support the bill? Reach out to ASHA to request a letter of support. See if a Take Action email is also needed.
Will other professions want to be a part of the supplement bill (which would impact its budgetary implications and potentially compromise its ability to pass)

Prepare to Meet With Decision Makers

Identifying key decision makers, understanding the district or state budget process and timeframes, and being able to answer tough questions are essential to success. To prepare for a meeting with decision makers, do the following:

Develop a succinct and effective message for reaching your audiences, including key stakeholders and decision makers. If you’re advocating at the state level, be sure to consult with your state speech-language-hearing association as well as your SEAL (who may also be able to assist with local level insights).
Develop a comprehensive awareness and education campaign aimed at key decision makers. For a local level approach, incorporate language that addresses the concerns of administrators (such as special education directors) school boards, and school unions. For a statewide legislative approach, focus on the issues that legislators are concerned about.
Make sure that everyone on your team has the same set of talking points and background information. Consumers of your services may be helpful in delivering your message to state legislators or school boards. Your state speech-language-hearing association leadership may be able to provide additional guidance.