Compass Charter Schools Redefines Structure for Virtual Learning With Help From Edgility

As a collaborative virtual learning community serving the Los Angeles, San Diego, and Yolo regions, Compass Charter Schools prepares scholars for life-long curiosity and success. This public charter school network offers scholars the option to learn virtually, providing customized education and personalized support.

Challenge: Redefining salary and organizational structures as a virtual school

Compass Charter Schools had a salary structure that wasn’t based on peer-ranges⁠ and wanted to ensure that its teachers and staff are paid fairly given its “work-from-home” environment. Benchmarking salaries against district schools proved inaccurate since the responsibilities and working environments for its staff differ from in-person schools.

Additionally, Compass Charter Schools offers an options program⁠—which runs more like a homeschool⁠—empowering parents to work with supervising teachers who help them coordinate curriculum. Given its unique model and various elements of both its online and options programs, Compass wanted to build an equitable salary structure that informed the salaries of its teachers and staff.

The nonprofit has revised its organizational structure annually, accounting for both the growth in enrollment and the growth in charters. This past year, Compass tried to organize staff by its three geographical locations, but this created inefficiencies. Online and options teachers and staff reported attending meetings that weren’t relevant to their respective programs. Lack of clarity around roles also prevented staff from being able to make autonomous decisions, ultimately leaving them frustrated and unable to move projects forward.

Solution: Edgility provides clarity around new organizational and salary structures

In 2018, Compass Charter Schools began working with Edgility on benchmarking and benefits studies in the virtual charter space. Based on the results, Edgility provided the virtual school with a clear teacher salary structure and salary range to help it accurately calculate its teachers’ salaries.

In 2019, Compass Charter Schools added a few new roles and realized it needed a broader and more flexible compensation structure. Edgility ran a new compensation study in 2020 and devised a salary structure based on grades rather than roles that Compass Charter Schools can use independent of Edgility as the organization grows.

In an effort to improve organization structure and optimize efficiency, Edgility also ran a series of focus groups and orchestrated a task force resulting in concrete tools staff could use to implement ongoing improvements. One result was creating more empowered managers who could more effectively coach their staff and provide constructive feedback.

Results: Compass Charter Schools improves efficiency and offers equitable pay

As an organization committed to growing and developing its staff, Compass Charter Schools was able to develop and implement a strong talent management philosophy that guides its decision-making around compensation. It also hired Instructional Coaches, a Director of Staff Support, and a Training & Development Manager to oversee management training across the organization. By crafting clearer job descriptions that set performance expectations, its teachers and staff are more confident and empowered to make decisions that reduce inefficiencies and create positive change.

“We’re so pleased with the work Edgility has done for Compass Charter Schools. It gave us a system and a roadmap that has brought incredible foundational value to our organization. We’ve dramatically reduced inefficiencies and can now confidently offer our teachers and staff equitable pay. This salary structure and organizational system revamp makes space for our mission of developing innovative, creative, and self-directed learners at our school.” – J.J. Lewis, Superintendent & CEO of Compass Charter Schools

Danielle Pointdujour

Human Resources Officer, Urgent Action Fund

Our work often requires rapid responses due to the nature of helping activists who are at risk. We’re grateful to Edgility for helping us slow down and take a step back to assess the health of our organization from a salary, equity, and performance perspective. It’s important that we reward our employees for their brave work. We look forward to continuing to partner with Edgility to develop and improve our internal systems.

Willa Marth

Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England

While Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) has worked to increase racial equity internally and externally, the racial reckoning of 2020 illuminated the need to ask ourselves what more we can do.  With Edgility's methodology, we had clear data points and recommendations to create a plan internally to address any wage gaps and further our commitment to racial equity. 

Deena Mangrum

Director of Talent Strategy, Para Los Niños

Treating people equitably is core to who we are and why we exist. The tremendous insights we gained from our work with Edgility have strengthened our organization so we can continue to move the needle for even more marginalized children in the Los Angeles area.

J.J. Lewis

Superintendent & CEO, Compass Charter Schools

We’re so pleased with the work Edgility has done for Compass Charter Schools. It gave us a system and a roadmap that has brought incredible foundational value to our organization. We’ve dramatically reduced inefficiencies and can now confidently offer our teachers and staff equitable pay.