Board ratifies teacher contract with no 2025–26 pay increase; district leaders pledge to pursue raises next year

The Elkhart Community Schools board unanimously ratified a tentative master contract with the Elkhart Teachers Association on Nov. 11 that the administration and ETA reached Oct. 30 and that ETA ratified Nov. 5. Counsel for the administration reported the agreement includes no increase in teacher compensation for the 2025–26 school year and no increase in teacher health or dental premium costs.

The tentative agreement was presented by Mr. Hixenbaugh and brought before the board for ratification; the motion to ratify passed by voice vote and was recorded as unanimous in the transcript. In separate remarks during the meeting, Superintendent Dr. Hough and several board members publicly recognized the strain of not being able to provide raises and described a commitment to make changes in the coming year so they can offer increases in future negotiations.

Public comment earlier in the meeting included a local teacher and community member who described special‑education staffing shortages and urged creative measures (e.g., signing bonuses) to recruit paraprofessionals and special‑education teachers. That concern was acknowledged by the board and referenced in later comments about the financial constraints the district is managing.

No additional financial details of the contract were discussed in the session beyond the compensation and premium items noted in the administration’s presentation.