Northville board details contract offer as parents, teachers press for faster settlement

The Northville Public Schools Board of Education on Monday provided a detailed update on its stalled contract talks with the Northville Education Association and then moved into closed session to continue negotiations, after dozens of parents, teachers and union representatives urged the board to settle quickly.

The board said the district and the NEA have met 15 times beginning Feb. 25, 2025, and that a mediator from the Michigan Employment Relations Commission has participated in the last five sessions. "The board's commitment to staff and students is unwavering," a board statement read, summarizing the district's formal offer and fiscal outlook.

The board described the district's last proposal as advancing every eligible teacher one step on the salary schedule for both the 2025-26 and 2026-27 contract years, plus increasing the salary scale by 2% in 2025-26 and 1.5% in 2026-27. Those changes, the board said, would translate to average salary increases of about 5.14% for 2025-26 and 4.11% for 2026-27. The district cited examples: a teacher on step 15 of the master's lane with a 2024-25 salary of $103,200 would receive $110,242 in 2025-26 (an increase the board described as roughly 6.8%); a top-of-lane master's teacher earning $108,080 in 2024-25 would receive $110,242 in 2025-26, a roughly 2% increase.

The board also noted that district-paid health insurance, retirement contributions and FICA raise total…