CMCSS presents 2025–26 MOU with CMCEA; proposes bereavement leave, AI rules and 2% teacher COLA

Bridal Feldman presented a first reading of the 2025–26 memorandum of understanding between the Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Association (CMCEA) and the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS).

The proposed MOU, described as the 13th year of the collaborative conferencing process, will be posted on the CMCSS website with hyperlinks to the policies and procedures referenced in the agreement, Feldman said.

Among the policy changes included in the 2025–26 MOU: three paid days of bereavement leave for the loss of an immediate family member (employees previously used sick leave for bereavement); deletion of “high absence volume” as a reason to require a physician’s certificate for sick leave; updates to the student code of conduct clarifying parent contact methods for Category 2 cell-phone/electronic-device offenses and specific consequences for cheating, plagiarism, forgery and unapproved use of artificial intelligence; and a teacher salary schedule that incorporates a 2% cost-of-living increase and step changes, with starting salaries noted in the presentation.

Feldman summarized the student-conduct changes by explaining that a first offense for cheating or related misconduct will result in a zero and an administrative referral; a second offense will likewise result in a zero, a second administrative referral and possible removal from advanced placement and dual-enrollment courses for the remainder of the academic year. "And this concludes the updates and changes for the 25 26 MOU. Thank you," Feldman said.

The MOU was presented as a first reading; no final action or vote was taken at this meeting. The board did not adopt the MOU at this session; any final decision will follow the board’s review process and subsequent agenda items.

Board members heard one public comment raising concern about student phone access during emergencies. A board/staff member clarified that the policy as adopted allows students to carry phones turned off and authorizes use in emergencies, per the policy language referenced during discussion.