Platte County school board approves pay agreement that boosts teachers 24% while specialists receive smaller increases

The Platte County School Board on Wednesday approved the district'026IBB pay agreement for 2026 as amended, awarding a 24% raise to certified teachers while providing smaller raises to other employee groups and commissioning a compensation study to address pay disparities.

Tia Jones, a district speech-language pathologist, urged the board during public comment for clarity and equitable treatment after the IBB agreement text was shared. "While a 7% raise would be considered very generous most years, it does not feel equitable when viewed in the context of 24% raise being offered to classroom teachers," she said, arguing the smaller adjustment would likely only cover insurance and retirement cost increases for specialists.

Board discussion focused on reconciling the state—unding "silo" for teachers with the district's desire to retain and fairly compensate non-classroom certified staff. Board member Doug moved an amendment that specified paragraph two of the agreement should read that all certified teachers receive the 24% increase, that classified staff (excluding three speech pathologists and one psychologist) receive a 10% increase, and that those four specialists receive a 7% increase along with a district commitment to a compensation study to review pay comparability with neighboring districts. The amendment was seconded and approved by the board; the full agreement was then approved as amended by voice vote.

Administrators explained the compensation study will compare like job titles and responsibilities with similar districts to determine whether step or schedule changes are warranted. The board discussed timing and feasibility of the study; staff suggested an update could be delivered administratively and that a progress update by December would be reasonable while comprehensive results might require more time to collect data from other districts.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the amended IBB agreement by voice vote; the early graduation request passed with a recorded vote of five yes and two no; other routine personnel actions, multiple special-education contracts, and a painting bid were also approved during the meeting.

The board said it will return with administrative details and study findings before making further compensation adjustments. The amended pay agreement takes effect according to the terms in the IBB document; the board also asked administration to bring back a timeline and recommended next steps following the compensation study.

The meeting also scheduled a special meeting to consider a separate HVAC bid and set June meeting/workshop logistics. The board announced a member resignation and outlined the vacancy-advertising and appointment process under policy BBE.