Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
USD 497 board ratifies tentative agreement with certified employees: 3.162% pool, $800 base increase
Summary
The Lawrence school board approved a tentative agreement with certified staff that adds a 3.162% salary pool, including an $800 increase to the base pay and expanded planning time at multiple grade levels. The contract also preserves single coverage health benefits and adds stipends and benefit enhancements.
The Lawrence Public Schools Board of Education on July 28 approved a tentative agreement with certified employees that allocates a 3.162% salary pool — about $1,678,001 total — including an $800 increase to the base salary and provisions for horizontal and vertical movements on the salary matrix.
The agreement, presented by Kristen Ryan, assistant superintendent for human resources and employee relations, also preserves single-coverage health insurance paid by the district, raises some stipends (including a $4,500 increase for school psychologists), increases employer fringe contributions and continues a $75 monthly retirement contribution to a 403(b) account.
Board members said the package balances several district priorities. "We were able to give a 3.162% increase, and that gave every certified staff member $800 on the base," Kristen Ryan said during the meeting. LEA co-chair Josh Bradley, who represented teachers at the table, described the settlement as a mix of pay adjustments and schedule changes intended to support retention.
Why it matters: The contract both adds direct pay to employees and changes work-day structures to expand planning time at elementary and high school levels, steps negotiators and board members described as important to teacher retention and instructional alignment across grade bands.
Details of the agreement: The package includes: - A 3.162% salary pool, approximately $1,678,001, with an $800 base increase for all certified staff and continued recognition for vertical (years of service) and horizontal (additional education/credits) movements on the salary matrix. - Increased fringe benefit support for medical coverage (presented as about $1,200 in additional district contribution for affected lines), continued full single-coverage health insurance, and a $75-per-month contribution to employee 403(b) accounts. - Targeted stipend increases, including a $4,500 bump for school psychologists and market-based adjustments for coaching and additional-assignment stipends. - Scheduling changes to increase planning time at elementary and high school levels; the middle school model already carried additional planning time under a prior change. - A contract reopener clause to allow the parties to address unforeseen issues arising from the scheduling changes.
Negotiators emphasized the planning-time changes took multiple years of work. "Plan time actually is at least a decade in the making," said Sarah, identified by negotiators as a co-chair and a Prairie Park teacher, noting the change aligns calendars and supports K–12 continuity.
Board vote and next steps: The board approved the tentative agreement unanimously, 7–0. The superintendent and LEA representatives indicated the district will implement the scheduling changes and communicate details to staff before the school year begins.
The board discussion also flagged longer-term salary work: negotiators said the district remains behind peer districts on base pay and intends to prioritize additional salary work in the coming year.
The approval is binding as a tentative agreement pending ratification steps required by the district and LEA procedures.
