Teacher public comment and board vote propel salary‑compression changes and one‑time stipends

During public comment at the March 12 meeting, Julie Bernier, a 17‑year Washington district music teacher, told trustees she discovered she was paid $5,787 less than a new hire and said the district's salary practice had produced about $10,400 of compression in two years. "Please restore dignity to this profession and end this demoralizing salary practice," Bernier told the board.

That testimony preceded a presentation by the district's interest‑based negotiations (IBN) team, summarized by Mister Morris. The IBN recommendations included a multi‑band approach: flat raises for exempt employee bands ($250–$1,000 by band), hourly raises by cents per hour by band, and an additional payment for employees who meet a compression threshold ($1,300 for exempt employees, $0.75/hour for hourly employees). The team also recommended a one‑time compression stipend targeted to employees identified as compressed and continuation of a $3,000 stipend for certified special‑education teachers (and $500 for uncertified special‑education teachers) for the 2026–27 school year.

Board members praised the process while acknowledging it would not fully solve compression. Lindsay Peterson thanked the IBN team and WDEA for elevating the issue but said the proposal "is a step, this is a recognition, it is not enough." The board approved three separate motions by voice vote: to adopt the IBN compression recommendations, to approve the one‑time compression stipend, and to continue the special‑education stipend for the coming year.

The district said funding for raises will come from current employee funding sources (M&O, Title I, IDEA, etc.) as applicable and that the compression measures would reduce—but not eliminate—the share of employees in a compression window.