Washoe trustees ratify two‑year contract with teachers union including pay increases and PTO changes
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Summary
The board approved a two‑year collective bargaining agreement with the Washoe Education Association retroactive to July 1, 2025, adding a guaranteed 2% COLA for FY26, targeted pay bonuses, PTO consolidation and new retention incentives. District and union leaders said the deal balances fiscal limits and recruitment needs.
The Washoe County School District board of trustees voted to approve and adopt a two‑year collective bargaining agreement with the Washoe Education Association that runs from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027.
District counsel Kevin Pick described the bargaining process as “meant to foster collaboration” and said the agreement revised 26 of 35 contract articles to update compensation, leave and workplace‑safety language. The package includes a guaranteed 2% cost‑of‑living adjustment for fiscal year 2026, retroactive to July 1, 2025, additional targeted increases (up to 7.5%) for special‑education and other hard‑to‑fill positions under state funding rules, a $1,000 retention bonus for FY27 (subject to performance), and a new market salary schedule for related‑service staff such as OTs and SLPs.
Chief human resources officer Doug Owen described changes to leave that consolidate many previous leave types into a simpler paid time‑off (PTO) structure, with newly hired employees receiving 15 PTO days and post‑probationary employees receiving 17 days; unused PTO converts to sick leave and can be banked for later use. Owen said the updates also expand stipends (including prep‑time stipends for secondary teachers), broaden bilingual pay beyond Spanish, and add geographic differentials for hard‑to‑staff locations.
WEA President Kalen Evans said the agreement reflects months of negotiations and aims to address recruitment and retention, especially for specialized positions. “This moves the needle in a tough fiscal environment,” Evans said, noting the union’s role in shaping stipends and protections for licensed professionals.
Trustees praised the collaborative process. Vice President Mayberry moved to approve the agreement; Trustee Nicolette seconded. The board approved the agreement (motion carries; vote tally not specified in the transcript). The district said negotiators will publish implementation details, including timelines for retroactive pay and performance criteria for retention bonuses.
The agreement’s cost depends in part on ongoing state funding: negotiators noted some increases rely on legislative funding streams and a general‑fund surplus sharing model for FY27.
