Caldwell negotiators approve 2025–26 master agreement with $1,000 stipends, homeroom pay and benefits changes

Members of the Caldwell School District bargaining team voted Wednesday to accept the proposed 2025–26 master agreement, approving a package of pay, benefits and procedural changes intended to adapt to new state career-ladder rules.

The agreement includes a one-time $1,000 stipend for roughly 35 employees whose salary steps were "frozen" under the state's mandatory minimums, new contract language to compensate teachers for homeroom coverage and multiple benefit-plan adjustments. The team moved the master agreement language for the new salary schedule into the contract and approved the package by a hand/thumb vote.

Why it matters: State changes to the Idaho career-ladder and validated placement caused some district employees to lose step movement this year; negotiators said the stipend and clarified language are temporary remedies while the district and association pursue longer-term fixes and training for staff and administrators.

Key provisions agreed - Stipend for frozen employees: Negotiators agreed on a one-time $1,000 payment for employees whose placement on the district salary schedule was frozen as a result of state career-ladder validation. "We agreed on a stipend, 1000 dollar stipend to be paid out 1 time in the year," a committee member said during the meeting. - Homeroom compensation: The draft adds language allowing staff to record 15-minute homeroom coverage; four recorded homerooms would equal one contractual block and be compensated as one-sixth of a $140 day. That method is intended to simplify compensating brief, recurring duties without itemizing minutes. - Salary-schedule alignment and transcripts: The agreement explicitly states that placement on the 2025–26 CPE salary schedule "shall reflect the Idaho Department of Education's validated career ladder designation as of 06/30/2025." Employees must submit transcripts (official or unofficial) to human resources by 09/01/2025 to validate their education level for placement. - MOUs and committee work: Two MOUs (addendum A and B) will be appended to the contract for one year; addendum B addresses pupil personnel services career-ladder placement. A special-education leadership committee will be reinvigorated to address caseloads and related operational issues. - Benefits and cost-sharing changes: The benefits renewal showed a 7.1% increase in premiums. The benefits committee recommended shifting much of the increase to employees via a pretax monthly deduction (the majority of employee-only plan members would see an approximate $50-per-month change in payroll deduction in the scenario discussed). The district proposed adding a third dental option (pending final confirmation), making vision coverage optional (employee-paid) and offering Ally Health (virtual urgent care plus EAP and psychiatric services) at district expense as an additional benefit for employees and potentially eligible substitutes.

What negotiators said: Committee members emphasized that many changes follow state code and validation processes and stressed the need for additional training and communication. A presenter reviewed language taken from Idaho code to avoid mismatch between district contract language and state requirements; another negotiator said the stipend is a "band aid" for this year while the district designs longer-term remedies.

Vote and next steps: The motion to accept the negotiated agreement for the 2025–26 school year was moved and seconded and passed by a thumbs/hand vote during the session. Team members said ratification materials and contact information for state career-ladder questions will be circulated to constituents; staff training and follow-up meetings were promised as the district implements the changes.

Photo/opportunity for further detail: The agreement sets deadlines and procedures (transcripts due 09/01/2025, stipend payout timing discussed for November) that negotiators said will be included in ratification materials. Constituents will have the final say in ratification according to the association's processes.