Caledonia community speakers urge swift teacher contract settlement and higher pay

Residents, parents and longtime teachers urged the Caledonia Community Schools Board of Education on Aug. 19 to finalize teacher contracts and increase pay to retain staff.

At the meeting’s public-comment period, several speakers described teachers as the district’s “lifeblood” and said delayed contract settlement and modest offers have left educators feeling undervalued. “Our teachers deserve better,” one commenter said, calling on the board and administration to prioritize swift, fair agreements. James Ernest said he was skeptical the administration had negotiated in good faith given the lateness of talks. Josh Rose, a 28-year teacher, said inflation has eroded teachers’ incomes since 1998 and urged restoring competitive starting salaries.

Speakers argued that losing teachers and specialist staff—social workers, speech and school psychologists—would harm students’ daily experience. A self-identified CPA, Susan Riach, told the board she did not expect the district to shift more than $1 million from the general fund until contracts were finalized and urged using bond funds for appropriate capital needs rather than recurring pay.

The public remarks followed district comments that ancillary positions would receive a “significant additional increase over the next three years” (the meeting transcript records the figure as “713.6%,” which appears inconsistent; the district did not provide a numerical clarification during the meeting). The board did not take formal action on teacher contracts at the Aug. 19 meeting.

The board’s consent agenda and other business proceeded after public comment; trustees later began a closed-session midyear superintendent review and did not vote on teacher-contract items at this meeting.