KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – After the Kalamazoo Public Schools found their low pay rates made it difficult for the district to find bus drivers, kitchen staff, and substitute teachers they issued got big raises in August. Now their teachers’ union has also received a new deal.
The Board of Education ratified a new contract last night and it too contains some generous pay hikes and incentives. That includes an increase of 6.5% for base pay, 4% on Schedule B, and a 1% off schedule payment.
That’s in addition to a $250 signing bonus, a step on the salary schedule, and an increase in their healthcare savings plan contribution.
Assistant. Superintendent Sheila Dorsey Smith called the teachers the heartbeat of the district.
Teachers union President Heather Reed says they are also satisfied with the deal for now, but that they want to continue talks to turn KPS into destination district for staff, just as The Promise has made it a destination for students and families.
School board members acknowledged that teachers haven’t been getting what they deserve, keeping schools open during the pandemic, working long hours. Board ember Carla Murphy called their conditions “brutal”.
Officials say the district has the money in their budget to finance the pay hikes thanks to federal COVID-19 relief money and the state’s record increase in per-pupil funding this school year, but they warn the federal money goes away in just over a year, and they could find themselves on the precipice of a financial cliff.
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