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School City of Hammond board ratifies teacher contract amid support-staff pay concerns
Summary
The School City of Hammond board unanimously approved ratification of a teachers’ collective bargaining agreement for 2024–25 after a public comment period. Trustees and union leaders disputed whether savings tied to transportation changes should have supported other employee groups.
The School City of Hammond Board of School Trustees voted to ratify a collective bargaining agreement between the Hammond Teachers Federation and the district for the 2024–25 school year during its Oct. 1 meeting.
Superintendent Dr. Wilson recommended approval of the agreement and the board moved to adopt it. Trustee Spencer moved for approval; the motion was seconded and the board recorded three ayes and one abstention. Chair opened and closed public expression prior to the motion.
During the meeting’s first public-expression period, a resident identified as Doctor Michaela criticized recent changes to transportation and said the district had effectively ended regular busing for many elementary students, calling the outcome irresponsible. “We have 590 students minimum who now do not have a safe, reliable way to get to school, and two of whom have already been injured,” she said, urging the board to reconsider the trade-offs behind claimed cost savings.
Trustee Blake King acknowledged the contract’s passage but put a statement into the record expressing concern that support staff did not receive the same stipend or pay increases that teachers would receive under the agreement. King said when teacher pay rises are not matched for other district employees, “we’re almost creating a working poor class of folks within our own district,” and urged the board to seek ways to compensate other units in future contract years.
Union representatives who addressed the board praised teachers’ negotiations and urged broader recognition of nonteaching staff. A Hammond Teachers Federation member thanked the board for approving the contract and said the union had negotiated “with good faith” and sought to keep skilled teachers in Hammond.
The board’s action ratifies the teacher contract; no separate compensation changes for other employee groups were adopted at the meeting. The board will consider subsequent budget and staffing decisions as it moves toward adopting the 2025 appropriations on Oct. 22.
