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Board approves rewritten collective bargaining agreement and modest salary schedule increases
Summary
The board approved a rewritten collective bargaining agreement preserving paid parental leave and adding a tenure/attendance bypass; it also approved recommended salary schedules averaging ~2.62% for certified staff and ~2.12% for classified staff with the district citing budget pressures.
Amanda Bearden, introduced as board president, summarized highlights of the collective bargaining agreement and emphasized collaborative negotiation with the teachers’ association. KCNEA representative Amanda (S37) recapped the CBA rewrite and said key provisions remain, including paid parental leave and enhanced bereavement leave. She described a new "tenure and attendance bypass" allowing a tenured teacher with 90% or greater attendance to take either a fourth consecutive day or a blackout date once per year without the standard appeals process.
Superintendent Dr. Daniels (S5) and Dr. Johnson (S15) presented recommended salary schedules for the 2026–27 year, describing a step increase and horizontal lane movement for eligible teachers that results in an average projected increase of about 2.62% for certificated staff and about 2.12% for classified staff. Dr. Johnson said the certificated increase adds approximately $2.2 million in ongoing certificated salary costs, and the classified/supplemental changes represent roughly $2.715 million in total fiscal impact.
Board member S34 moved to approve the collective bargaining agreement and the motion carried; subsequent motions approved the teacher, school psychologist, classified and administrative salary schedules. The transcript records several abstentions on votes but not a roll‑call tally in the meeting minutes.
Why it matters: With projected state revenue pressures, the board and administration framed these approvals as a balance between honoring negotiated employee agreements and gating future decisions through ongoing budget reviews. The board asked staff to continue monitoring budget impacts as final revenue numbers are confirmed.
Next steps: District finance and HR will implement the approved schedules, incorporate them into final budget figures and report back on budget reconciliation at upcoming meetings.
