Baldwin-Whitehall board approves five-year teachers contract with Baldwin Education Association

The Baldwin-Whitehall School District Board of School Directors voted to approve a collective bargaining agreement with the Baldwin Education Association (BWEA) effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030. The motion passed 7-0, with one abstention and one board member absent.

Board member Dr. Lutz, who served as the district's lead negotiator, read the recommendation and later described the process as productive and deliberate. "I'm very pleased with the process," he said, adding that language in the contract is intended to allow the district "to start to move the needle" on scheduling and other classroom flexibilities.

The contract, as summarized by Dr. Lutz, includes provisions the district expects will improve regional salary competitiveness, compress the step schedule for teacher pay, and expand benefits for early-career teachers, including tuition reimbursement that begins from the employee's start date rather than after permanent certification. Dr. Lutz said those changes were aimed at retaining and attracting staff without creating unaffordable costs for the district: "This contract gets us a little bit of above mid pack... it's definitely more competitive."

Mrs. Brown, a board member, thanked district administrators and union negotiators for what she described as "amicable, good discussions" and said the result was "very fair." Mr. Zeman, also identified by negotiators as part of the administrative team, was singled out for his role in the discussions.

Dr. Lutz said the full, fully executed contract will be posted on the district website once editing and signatures are complete, likely by the board's next meeting or by October if additional time is needed. No specific salary figures, step counts, or dollar amounts were provided during the discussion.

The board moved immediately from the vote to other routine agenda items and adjourned after completing business for the meeting.