A new four-year contract between School District U-46 and the Elgin Teachers Association, calling for pay hikes and an extended school day, was approved Monday night by the School Board.
The agreement, retroactive for current 2023-24 school year and ending in August 2027, was ratified by the teachers union Feb. 8. About 88% of the union’s more than 2,500 members agreed to the deal, the end result of negotiations that started in late 2022.
In the first year, starting salaries for teachers will increase 6% in the first year, 5% the second year, 3% the third year and 2% the fifth year, according to a district news release. That means a teacher who started at $55,000 in the contract’s first year will be earning $60,600 by the final year, the release said.
The elementary school day, which is currently six hours long, will be extended by 20 minutes starting in August 2025 to allow for more planning times and special classes. The agreement also provides more collaboration or planning time for all teachers,
At the elementary level, the teaching of one content area — either science or social studies — will be removed from the responsibilities of the general classroom teacher. Instead, each campus will have teachers who will instruct students in one of those subjects, which will be added to the “specials” categories that also include art, music and physical education.
At the high school level, teachers will have collaborative team time during early release days that will be built into the school year calendar.
The contract lays out a timeline under which caseloads for special education teachers will be reviewed three times each school year and a process for workloads deemed excessive to be addressed, according to the release. It aligns teacher and administrative rights and responsibilities to the district’s student code of conduct.
Increases for other rates of pay, including the hourly pay for summer school and extra duties with athletics and other extracurricular activities, are also included in the agreement.
In prepared statements, U-46 administrators and union officials said they were satisfied with the new deal.
Lela Majstorovic, deputy superintendent of instruction, said the agreement ensures that U-46 will remain competitive in attracting and retaining highly qualified and dedicated teachers. It also shows the district’s commitment to providing teachers with the time and tools they need to provide high-quality instruction.
Elgin Teachers Association President Barb Bettis said the contract will have far-reaching positive effects for U-46 teachers, boosting the dedicated time they have to plan lessons, collaborate with colleagues and reflect on their practice
“As a result, learning will be enhanced for the more than 34,000 students served by School District U-46,” Bettis said.
At the board’s Monday night meeting, board President Sue Kerr thanked everyone who participated in negotiating the agreement.
“I know this was a long hard bargain,” Kerr said. “It was hundreds of hours. I think the results are great for our students and for our teachers.
Board member Melissa Owens, who sat in on some of the bargaining sessions, said that while pay was an important issue, so were current practices and what could be made better.
“Students were always the focus,” Owens said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
