River Falls board approves bus-driver and teacher contracts; teacher vote 6–0 with one abstention

The River Falls School District board approved two collective-bargaining agreements on Monday: a bus-driver agreement and a teacher agreement for the 2026–27 school year.

Bus drivers: The bus-driver agreement includes cell-specific base-wage increases (1.87% for cells 1–9, 3.3% for cell 10), a total base wage increase of 3.49% across steps 1–10, a 3.6% increase for trip drivers, a 3.25% increase for suburban drivers and a 12% increase for driver trainers. Board members said the trainer increase was intended to correct low pay relative to the responsibilities of training new drivers.

Teachers: The teacher agreement contains an average total base-wage increase of 2.63% per step and a total salary increase of 3.66%, and adds one contracted day to the school calendar to provide additional staff time. The board chair announced the teacher agreement passed with six "ayes" and one abstention.

Why it matters: Both agreements affect district payroll and staffing budgets. The board discussed recruitment and retention pressures in special education and said the negotiated increases are part of an effort to retain and attract employees.

What happened in the meeting: The motions to approve both agreements were moved, seconded and carried by the board. The bus-driver agreement passed by voice vote; the teacher agreement passed 6–0 with one abstention.

Next steps: Administrators will implement contract provisions for the 2026–27 pay cycles and calendar; the board directed staff to distribute details to affected employees and to include negotiated changes in the final budget documents.