Tri‑Creek board outlines one‑year teacher contract changes, $150,000 voluntary retirement buyout

The Tri‑Creek School Corporation Board of School Trustees reviewed a proposed one‑year bargaining agreement with the Tri Creek Teachers Organization for the 2025–26 school year that would: align maternity leave with state code, allow transfer of certain sick days to personal business days, change how homebound instruction is paid, split a recent medical premium increase with employees, add a small, permanent pay step for teachers with a state literacy endorsement, and make available a $150,000 voluntary retirement buyout for up to five eligible teachers.

The contract summary was presented by a staff member (presenter), who said, “This is a 1 year agreement with our teachers union,” and walked the board through the changes item by item. The presenter said maternity leave language was replaced to mirror “what’s in code,” permitting leave “up to 1 full year from the commencement of pregnancy to 1 year following the birth.”

The presenter described a caregiver‑leave clarification that allows teachers…