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Board approves 2025–26 salary package: 2% base raise, one step and pilot leave buyback
Summary
The Raytown C‑2 board approved a 2% base salary increase plus one step for staff, a pilot leave‑buyback option and a proposed longevity payout schedule; finance staff said the plan is estimated to cost about $3.5 million and the district expects to end FY26 with roughly 21.2% in reserves after planned reductions.
The Raytown C‑2 School District Board voted Wednesday to approve the 2025–26 salary and benefit recommendations, which include a 2% increase to base pay and a one‑step increase for eligible staff.
Finance director Jackie Vernon told the board the package is estimated to cost the district about $3.5 million and that the district expects to spend roughly $98.5 million on salaries and benefits by the end of the current fiscal year. Vernon said, “Our salary recommendation is 2% to the base and 1 step. That's estimated to cost the district about $3,500,000.”
The board also approved a pilot leave‑buyback program that would allow staff to be paid for up to four unused sick days per school year at the current daily substitute rate: $140 for certified staff and $100 for classified staff. Staff described the pilot as budget‑neutral in projection because it is intended to reduce substitute usage and related costs.
In addition the board approved a proposed longevity payout schedule for staff retiring through PSRS that sets payout percentages tied to years of service: 75% for 25+ years, 50% for 20–24 years, 45% for 15–19 years, 40% for 10–14 years, 30% for 5–9 years and 25% for 1–4 years. Vernon said the district examined last year’s retiree data and estimated how the new schedule would have changed payouts.
Board members and RayTEAM representatives praised the collaborative bargaining and presentation. A RayTEAM representative said the district and union discussions were “collaborative” and welcomed the agreement. The board voted to approve the recommendations as presented.
District staff said the salary package would leave estimated reserves of about 16.4% without other adjustments, but that planned reductions and repurposing of positions should raise projected reserves to about 21.2% by the end of fiscal 2026. Staff described the reductions as targeted primarily at executive and administrative layers and as repurposing rather than school‑level layoffs.
The motion to approve the salary and benefit recommendations passed at the meeting.
