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Laconia School Board approves tentative contract with teachers’ association
Summary
The Laconia School Board voted to approve a three-year tentative collective bargaining agreement with the Laconia Education Association that includes a 4% raise in year one and 2% cost-of-living adjustments in years two and three, increased professional development reimbursement, and unchanged health benefits.
The Laconia School Board on Feb. 12 approved a tentative three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Laconia Education Association by a 6-0-1 vote.
The agreement, presented to the board during the meeting, includes a 4% increase to the salary schedule in year one and 2% cost-of-living adjustments in years two and three. The district and association also agreed to raise the annual professional development reimbursement cap from $700 to $1,500 and to add days to the sick bank. Health insurance coverage through the district’s plan remains unchanged, Superintendent Champlin said.
Why it matters: The contract covers teacher salaries and benefits that district leaders said are central to recruiting and retaining staff. Superintendent Champlin said the package is intended to keep Laconia competitive with nearby districts and limit turnover among veteran educators.
Superintendent Champlin told the board the negotiations used five years of usage data to redesign the professional development reimbursement, calling the $1,500 cap a “much better use” of funds compared with the previous $700 cap. He also summarized the salary schedule changes and compared the district’s relative position with neighboring systems, saying the tentative agreement should maintain Laconia’s competitiveness in the Lakes Region.
The board packet included a fact sheet and a salary grid showing how the increases affect different steps on the teacher salary scale. Superintendent Champlin said a teacher beginning with a bachelor’s degree (BA step 1) in the district currently starts at $44,000; the contract increases would move salaries upward across the schedule. Board members and negotiators discussed those comparisons in public comments during the meeting.
The board’s approval was recorded as 6 in favor, 0 opposed, and 1 abstention. The board noted that the tentative agreement will next be communicated to the city manager and the city council as part of the district’s broader budget and revenue discussions.
The board’s public discussion emphasized the need to balance compensation increases with the district’s budget constraints and changes in state funding. Superintendent Champlin said the negotiating team sought to limit the budgetary impact while addressing recruitment and retention.
The board approved the tentative agreement during the meeting’s action segment; no implementation tasks or effective dates beyond the agreement term were specified in the board motion.
