Munster board approves 4% staff raises, substitute pay hikes and $202,269.68 band trailer

The School Town of Munster Board of Trustees approved a series of personnel and policy items at its November meeting, including 4% pay increases for multiple staff groups, a $5-a-day raise for substitute teachers, and the purchase of a custom marching band trailer for $202,269.68.

Administration recommended approval of the consent agenda covering minutes, voucher registers, personnel recommendations, overnight field trips, donations and fundraisers; the board approved the consent agenda as a single motion (items 4.1–4.7) by a 5–0 vote. The board then approved professional staff salary and benefits for 2025–26 (including an across-the-board 4% increase and benefit adjustments) and executive professional staff salaries, both by voice vote 5–0.

On classified staff, the administration proposed targeted wage-rate increases, including additional bumps for school nurses and maintenance staff earning under $25 per hour to stay regionally competitive; trustees approved the classification wage adjustments 5–0. The board also approved a $5-per-day increase for substitute teachers; administration noted the change represents roughly a 3.8–4.7% increase across pay bands and thanked Barb Coggins for managing a large substitute pool.

School administration recommended buying a custom marching band trailer from Clubhouse Trailer Company for $202,269.68 to replace an aging trailer and provide band-specific storage and loading configurations. "School administration recommends approval of the purchase of a custom marching band trailer from Clubhouse Trailer Company for a price of $202,269.68," Mister Begley said. The board approved the purchase 5–0.

The board approved policy and bylaw revisions for 2025 (administration said many changes respond to recent legal changes in Indiana and at the federal level). Administration noted bylaw changes are handled separately because bylaw revisions require a higher voting threshold than policy revisions.

Votes at a glance: - Consent agenda (items 4.1–4.7): approved, 5–0. - Professional staff salary & benefits (2025–26): approved, 5–0. - Executive professional staff salary & benefits (2025–26): approved, 5–0. - Administrative contracts: approved, 5–0. - Classified staff wage increases (including nurses & maintenance adjustments): approved, 5–0. - Substitute daily pay increases (all bands +$5/day): approved, 5–0. - Wilbur Wright Middle School volunteer stipends (2025–26): approved, 5–0. - Purchase of custom marching band trailer (Clubhouse Trailer Company) — $202,269.68: approved, 5–0. - Policy revisions for 2025: approved, 5–0. - Bylaw revisions for 2025: approved, 5–0.

What it means: Board members stressed regional competitiveness and fiscal planning when discussing raises, and administrators said the district used long-term planning to preserve the ability to give increases in a year when other districts could not. The trailer purchase will be reflected in next year’s cash sheet and is intended to replace an aging, retrofitted trailer to better protect and transport band equipment.

The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Dec. 8 at 6 p.m.; the meeting adjourned afterward.