Trustees unanimously ratify two-year contract with MEA-MFPE including step raises and longevity stipends

The Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees unanimously approved a two-year collective bargaining agreement with the Missoula Education Association–MFPE, Superintendent Micah Hill told the board. The administration recommended ratification of the contract, and trustees approved the recommendation by voice vote.

The agreement provides a $2,100 increase to each salary step for both the 2025–26 and 2026–27 school years and a $25 increase to the district insurance contribution for eligible employees, Superintendent Micah Hill said. The contract also raises personal leave from two days to three days per year and establishes longevity stipends: $750 for teachers with 20 years of service, $1,000 for 25 years and $1,500 for 30 years or more.

The contract contains several other provisions negotiated with the union. Shannon Judge, lead negotiator for the Missoula Education Association, and Scott Shook, president of the MEA, spoke in support of the agreement. Judge recommended the board approve the package; Shook said, “Was it everything we wanted? No. Was it more than the district wanted to give? Probably,” and called it “a good package.”

The agreement includes language intended to comply with STARS requirements for starting teacher pay; Hill said the district negotiated dollar increases to individual pay cells rather than percentages to make progress toward the STARS targets. Hill explained the district reports teachers’ salaries annually and must meet a moving minimum (rising to 70% of average teacher salary by year five) and that, with current starting pay at about $50,100, the district is roughly at 68–69% of the average teacher salary.

Contract language also adds a longevity stipend structure and a section providing priority dependent enrollment for teachers (allowing teachers’ dependents priority enrollment at the school closest to home, closest to work, or the school where the teacher works). The MEA/union negotiators said the agreement also creates a safety committee to address staff and public safety concerns.

Trustees and negotiators discussed horizontal (lane) movement that rewards additional education credits. To limit budgetary pressure from rapid horizontal movement, the agreement caps the number of employees who may receive horizontal movement this year at 15 (down to 12 in the subsequent year, per Hill). Hill described the selection as first-come, first-served and said the change is intended to manage the district’s budget while continuing to incentivize professional development.

Motion and vote: The board approved the administration’s recommendation to ratify the two-year agreement with the MEA-MFPE; the motion was moved by Trustee Davy and approved unanimously by trustees present. The transcript does not list an individual roll-call tally in names and counts beyond the unanimous voice vote.

Why this matters: The contract raises pay across steps, adds retention-focused longevity pay and modifies how horizontal lane movement is administered — changes that affect teacher compensation, district budgeting and the district’s progress toward state starting-pay requirements.

What’s next: The full contract is available on the district website, Hill said. District staff will monitor insurance costs and convene the insurance committee to assess potential additional impacts on employee contributions.