In this second edition of NCTQ’s series of teacher contract round-ups, we bring you five
new districts: Jefferson County (KY), Sioux Falls (SD), Mesa (AZ), Omaha (NE)
and Wichita (KS). None of the featured districts could be charged with drastic shake-ups in their new
contracts; nevertheless, there are some interesting developments which may
reflect wider trends across the country.
Jefferson County, KY
(July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2018)
- The district will
offer additional financial benefits
to teachers in schools deemed persistently low-performing by the state. Benefits include performance bonuses, tuition
reimbursement, loan forgiveness, access to career ladder positions and
incentives to gain National Board certification. Principals
in these schools will also get first pick when selecting teachers from transfer lists. - Despite having no
cost-of-living raises this year, teachers received a 2 percent step increase for completing an
additional year of service. Future pay raises are yet to be determined, as they
are negotiated each year. - Elementary teachers will
see an increase in planning time
from three hours and 20 minutes per week to four hours and ten minutes. Two and a half days are now specifically
reserved for elementary teachers’ collaborative planning time.
Sioux Falls, SD (July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2018)
- Teachers’ work week will now be 40 hours. Previously it was 37.5 hours. The extra time will be used for collaborative
planning, professional development and lesson planning. - Sabbatical leave may have lost some of its allure in Sioux Falls. Until this year, sabbatical leave was 50 percent paid;
it is now unpaid. However, teachers no
longer need to teach for seven years to qualify. - District teachers
received a significant salary increase
this year: 15 percent, on average (10 percent comes from a cost-of-living increase, 5 percent from a step increase). Future
raises are dependent on state funding.
Mesa, AZ
(July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014)
The new contract brings few significant changes,
except for a hefty 5 percent pay
increase for teachers this year (3 percent from cost-of-living, 2 percent
from a step increase). However, we find
numerous changes to board policies on teacher
evaluations. Some might describe these changes as a step backwards while others
might call them examples of compromise at work.
- The district is
reducing the weight student growth
carries in evaluations from 40 percent to 33 percent. - Standardized
tests are no longer the vehicle by which the district assesses student
growth. Instead, Mesa will use classroom-based assessments, at least
until the state develops its own assessments. - Non-tenured
teachers and tenured teachers who are rated in the bottom two categories are
now evaluated twice a year. Tenured teachers rated effective and highly
effective will be evaluated once a year.
Things are quiet in America’s
heartland. There are no significant
changes, other than pay increases, in the Omaha, NE,
(August 1, 2013 – July 31, 2015) or Wichita, KS,
(August 1, 2013 – July 31, 2014) contracts. Omaha teachers saw a three percent cost-of-living
increase and four percent step increase, while teachers in Wichita received more than a two
percent step increase, but no cost-of-living raise.
