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Waunakee HR committee outlines 2025-26 wage timeline, cites 2.95% CPI and referendum funds for hourly pay
Summary
Committee reviewed a proposed schedule for 2025-26 wage adjustments, noting a 2.95% Consumer Price Index for contracts starting July 1, a likely April negotiation request from the Waunakee Teachers Association and a $1 million operational referendum set aside to raise hourly pay toward Dane County peer averages.
The Waunakee Community School District Human Resources Committee reviewed a proposed schedule for wage adjustments for the 2025–26 contract year, saying the Consumer Price Index baseline for contracts beginning July 1 is 2.95 percent and that new wages would take effect in July.
The committee heard that five nonunion employee groups — administration, administrative support and hourly employees among them — will be included in the district’s cost presentation, while teacher pay remains subject to negotiation with the Waunakee Teachers Association. "It's 2.95% for contracts beginning on July 1," said Brian, a staff member who presented the plan. He told the committee he expected a formal request from the WTA to open negotiations in April.
The wage plan also incorporates money from an operational referendum approved in November 2024 that, according to presenters, allocated $1 million over two years to move hourly employees closer to the Dane County peer average. Brian said the district will present two elements to the board: a routine CPI-based increase aligned to other groups, and a separate investment targeted at hourly employees to narrow the gap with peer districts over two years.
District staff described a timeline that would allow the board to consider all groups in May, with the option to approve nonunion groups earlier if data are ready. The presenter said district administration may return to the committee in early April with detailed cost estimates for the five nonunion groups and a separate cost estimate for the teachers’ group after negotiations begin.
Budget staff noted a state-level funding component that administration has included in planning documents. "There is a safety net in state law of $325 per student," said a budget committee member, adding the district had accounted for that figure in budget planning while noting that the funding has been subject to legal challenge. The presenter cautioned that final staffing and wage decisions depend on peer‑comparison data that still must be collected and verified for some groups.
The committee did not take any formal action on wages during the meeting. Members asked staff to return with cost figures and a recommended schedule for board consideration before summer.
Looking ahead, staff said they would continue to refine peer-comparison data and firm up dates for either an April or May committee meeting to present final figures to the board.
