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that allows teachers to transfer up to five sick days into personal business days, and said the contract removes an outdated sentence about a 3% contribution to the Indiana State Teachers Retirement Fund because that language does not match the district’s plan documents. The presenter also described a change to homebound instruction pay: the hourly rate will be calculated by dividing the teacher’s per‑diem by 7.5 hours instead of 6 hours to reflect the teacher work day.

A voluntary retirement buyout and separation incentive would be available to full‑time bargaining unit teachers who have at least 20 years of total teaching experience with Tri‑Creek as of the end of the school year. The presenter said the district allocated $150,000 for the program for the 2025–26 school year, sufficient to pay up to five teachers $30,000 each. The presenter said the payments would go into the teacher’s 401(a) or similar account at the teacher’s choice if the teacher notifies the district by Jan. 31, 2026, and that the employment separation date would be June 30, 2026. The presenter said the $150,000 would come from remaining bond funds from pension bonds issued in February 2009 and that the district had no outstanding obligations tied to those bond funds.

The presenter also described a roughly 4% increase in medical premiums through the district’s insurance trust; the district agreed to split that increase, charging employees 2% and the corporation 2%. The presenter summarized salary‑grid changes: the starting base pay figures and top of the scale were adjusted (numbers provided by the presenter), an education‑factor lane change now moves a teacher two columns to the right (an example increase of $1,462 was cited), and a literacy‑endorsement column was added that provides a $97 base pay increase for teachers who hold the state literacy endorsement. The presenter said the average teacher increase from the package is about $18.14 (roughly 2.73%); the presenter said the total salary portion of the package is $285,000 and, when benefits are included, “well over $340,000,” and that taking on the employer portion of the medical premium increase is about $40,000.

Board members who commented commended the bargaining process. One board member said pre‑bargaining work and smaller negotiation sessions made the final bargaining session quicker. Another board member noted that statutes prevent the board from ratifying the agreement that evening and said the board would ratify the contract at its next scheduled meeting; the presenter added the district would check for compliance with the bargaining process next week.

Discussion versus decision: the meeting record shows detailed discussion of contract language and benefits but no formal ratification vote on the bargaining agreement at this meeting. The board did not take a formal vote to ratify the teachers’ agreement; the presenter said ratification must occur at a later meeting in compliance with statutes.

The board did not receive public comment on the action item during the meeting.