Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves two-year teachers' contract that shifts pay schedule and trims tenure stipend
Summary
The Foley Public School District board approved a 2025'27 contract with the teachers' union featuring a 2.1% raise in year one and 2.0% in year two, a move to 24 pay periods and removal of a $600 tenure stipend; district staff said the two-year cost is roughly 6.707%.
The Foley Public School District board approved a new two-year contract with the Foley Education Union covering the 2025'26 and 2026'27 school years, district staff said.
A staff member who summarized the agreement told the board the contract provides a 2.1% salary increase for the 2025'26 year and a 2.0% increase for 2026'27. "Our year 1 wages, which is the 25'26 school year, the teachers increase will receive 2.1% increase. And next year, in the 26'27 school year, they will receive a 2% increase," the staff member said.
The contract also changes payroll to 24 pay periods (twice monthly) rather than a June lump-sum payment, eliminates a previous $600 stipend tied to tenure, and sets district insurance contribution amounts and retirement-health eligibility terms. The staff member described a provision allowing special-education teachers up to four paid hours per trimester to work on due-process requirements and up to four hours of paid planning time before the school year begins. The district estimated the combined two-year cost of the package at about 6.707%.
Board members and negotiators praised the bargaining process. "We had the information we needed," one board member said, thanking district negotiators and the mediator. A committee member described the sessions as collaborative and said the experience gave board members insight into contract details.
The board voted to approve the agreement during the meeting. The staff member asked the board to ratify the agreement; the board voiced approval and the motion passed (tally recorded in the meeting as "Aye").
What it means: Board members said the contract balances modest wage increases while adjusting benefits and pay timing to reduce summer payroll volatility for the district. Some previously available stipends were removed for future hires, and special-education staffing supports were clarified.
Next steps: District staff will implement the changes during payroll and benefits administration for the coming school years and continue negotiations with other employee groups, including transportation and principals, the staff member said.
