Creighton negotiators present pay, benefits and staffing recommendations totaling about $950,000

The Creighton Elementary District meet-and-confer team presented a package of compensation, benefits and working-condition recommendations to the governing board at a special study session, saying the proposals fit within the district's revised 2024-25 budget.

The team asked the board to note several specific items: keep a district-paid benefits package for 2025-26 with dental moved to a Cigna HMO and continued UHC vision coverage; apply $20,000 toward salary-compression work for facilities staff; provide a 5% raise plus a $1,735 year-end stipend for contract substitutes who worked the full year; increase hourly rates for bus drivers; approve a 2% raise for all employees; and move an existing $15,000 market-demand stipend for school psychologists into base pay. The team also recommended paying special-education case managers at an extra-duty rate for up to three hours per IEP when they must cover additional duties, adding an educational support professional (ESP) to each school's crisis team, and adopting clearer reduction-in-force protections.

Why it matters: the recommendations are framed as a way to recruit and retain staff, reduce vacancy-driven reliance on outside contractors and maintain continuity of instruction. The team said the package draws on prior-year approved funds and new allocations to produce a total meet-and-confer budget near $950,000 and that about $17,775 would remain unallocated in the proposal presented to the board.

Key details from the presentation included: - Benefits: the team proposed the benefits package “be approved as plan's presented,” with employee optional add-ons (identity protection, pet insurance and other voluntary products) but the core health benefits paid by the district. The presenters said the benefits line was budgeted at about $300,000 for 2025-26 and that the package was approved by the board earlier in February 2025 to meet renewal deadlines and open enrollment timelines. - Compression and raises: the package includes $20,000 earmarked for targeted compression work (facilities department) and a districtwide 2% pay raise to support retention. The team emphasized that sustained investments in staff are intended to preserve progress toward the district's student-outcomes goals. - Contract substitutes: to align with classified raises from 2024-25, contract substitutes would receive a 5% increase and the $1,735 stipend at year end for those employed the full school year; future raises for those workers would follow classified schedules. - Bus drivers/transportation: the compensation group proposed an hourly increase for drivers, citing the role's importance for attendance and student access to school. - School psychologists: the recommendation would convert a $15,000 market-demand stipend into base salary for psychologists to make base pay more competitive with neighboring districts. - Reduction in force (RIF): the team proposed clarified guidelines and recall protections to govern layoffs should the district need to reduce positions after transfers and attrition are exhausted.

Process and next steps: the meet-and-confer team presented the recommendations for board feedback during the May 13 study session. Creighton Education Association members will vote on the proposed professional agreement; the district expects to bring a draft to the governing board for possible action on May 23. Salary schedules reflecting any approved changes would be presented in June.

What the board asked for: board members asked for follow-up data and monitoring on retention after contracts are signed, and some members asked staff to think about the differences between the district’s interest-based negotiation process and the meet-and-confer process going forward.

The presentation included frequent references to the district’s Student Outcomes Focused Governance (SOFG) goals and guardrails; the team said they used those guardrails to guide and narrow recommendations.

Ending note: the board did not take formal action on these meet-and-confer recommendations at the May 13 study session; members requested follow-up information, and the bargaining association will vote on the final professional agreement before the board considers the contract on May 23.