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Board approves tentative agreement with Education Support Professionals: $1 hourly raise, leave pools reinstated
Summary
The USD 497 Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a tentative 2025-26 agreement with the Lawrence Education AssociationEducation Support Professionals that raises base hourly pay by $1 and restores district leave pools, the district said.
The USD 497 Board of Education on a 7-0 vote approved a tentative labor agreement with the Lawrence Education Association (LEA) bargaining unit representing Education Support Professionals (ESPs) for the 2025-26 school year. The agreement increases the ESP salary pool by 5.97%, about $1,132,000, which includes a $1-per-hour increase to base hourly wages and horizontal movement to acknowledge returning service.
Why it matters: The contract restores two forms of pooled leave and preserves fully paid single medical, dental and vision premiums for full-time employees year-round, including summer months for staff who are off duty. Board members and district leaders said the step is part of a longer effort to reach a living wage for ESPs.
Agreement details and district statements: The contract reinstates an illness leave pool that had been retired several years ago and creates a new catastrophic leave pool to help employees with serious personal or family medical needs. The district also confirmed continuation of fully paid single medical, dental and vision insurance premiums for full-time staff; the district told the board the yearly premium cost paid by the board is $9,993.72 per eligible staff member for the 2025-26 plan year.
"We all recognize that we have significant work ahead of us, and we will continue the work to innovate, to streamline, and to advocate to achieve our shared goal of competitive compensation," Superintendent Dr. Anthony Swift told the board during the presentation.
Union representatives who presented details said the tentative agreement was ratified by membership on Sept. 23, 2025, with a 97.76% approval rate. "This agreement reflects our continued commitment to supporting staff, fostering collaboration, and ensuring the best outcomes for our students and community," said Julie Donnelly, a paraeducator and bargaining committee member, in remarks to the board.
Board reaction and next steps: Several board members thanked district negotiators and the LEA bargaining team and urged administration to continue multi-year budget planning to move ESP starting wages toward a local living-wage standard. Board members asked administration to return with multi-year scenarios linking wages, benefits and staffing choices for the 2026-27 budget cycle.
Vote and formal action: The motion to approve the tentative agreement carried unanimously (7-0). The board recorded the roll call votes as Yes from Costello, Franklin, Gordon Ross, Jones, Kimball, Byers and Katie Blackwood.
