Deer Creek board ratifies teacher contract, approves pay increases, event staffing, IXL study and school security work

The Deer Creek Public Schools Board of Education on Tuesday ratified a negotiated agreement with the Deer Creek Association of Classroom Teachers and approved a series of personnel and operational items, including salary-schedule adjustments, higher substitute pay, a pilot contract for event staffing at varsity football games, an agreement with IXL Learning to correlate IXL diagnostic scores with state test results, and security cabling and camera installation at Central Creek Middle School.

The board voted 4-0 to ratify the contract with the teachers' association after staff told trustees that teacher membership ratified the agreement by 99.4%. Board President Jason Perez convened the meeting; board members recorded as present included Mike Keane, Stan Green, Kelly Lane and Chris Adamson.

Why it matters: the actions approve routine and one-time operational expenditures and set compensation and staffing policies as the district opens a new middle school and begins the 2025-26 school year with an enrollment the superintendent said will exceed 8,200 students.

Key decisions and context

• Teacher contract ratified: The board ratified the negotiated agreement between Deer Creek Public Schools and the Deer Creek Association of Classroom Teachers by a 4-0 vote. Staff noted the teacher ratification vote was 99.4% in favor.

• Salary and pay-schedule changes: Trustees approved an across-the-board increase of approximately 1.8% for certified staff and approved parallel changes to noncertified and administrative pay schedules. The board also approved raising the daily substitute (guest teacher) rate to $100 per day for certified substitutes…