SYRACUSE – The Wawasee Community School Board heard about the tentative 2023-25 Teacher Collective Bargaining Agreement during a special meeting Wednesday.
For the first time, a two-year agreement was brought before the board.
The current salary range for returning Wawasee Community School Corporation teachers is $41,750 to $74,750. Base salary increases are available for teachers who receive an evaluation rating of effective or highly effective in the prior school year. Teachers who receive an evaluation rating of ineffective or improvement necessary in the prior school year are not eligible for a base salary increase and will remain at their prior year salary.
Any funds otherwise allocated for teachers who were rated ineffective or improvement necessary will be equally redistributed to all teachers rated effective or highly effective. The redistribution will be in the form of a stipend that will be paid at the end of the school year.
The salary scale is split to show the pay difference between teachers who have acquired a bachelor’s degree and those who acquired a master’s degree. When a teacher moves down a row in either column, they will receive a $1,500 raise. When a teacher moves to the master’s column, they will receive a $3,000 raise and as they move down the master’s column, the salary will increase by $1,500.
At the discretion of Superintendent Steve Troyer, an additional stipend equal up to $5,000 can be added during a new teacher’s first year at WCSC in order to meet the academic needs of the school corporation. The stipend will not be added to the base salary.
The Teacher Collective Bargaining Agreement included the continuation of two buy-back programs the school corporation currently offers.
For the duration of the contract, WCSC may establish and implement a sick or personal day buy-back program that provides teachers with an opportunity to sell back unused sick or personal days to the corporation for $100 per day, up to 10 total days per year.
Additionally, for the duration of the contract, WCSC may establish and implement a retirement sick day buy-back program that provides retiring teachers with an opportunity to sell back unused sick days to the corporation.
Teachers that forfeit their preparatory or lunch time and are assigned to be an in-house substitute will be paid at the rate of $28 per hour.
Teachers who instruct dual credit, advanced placement or industry recognized certification courses will receive a stipend of $1,000 per year.
There is a 0% increase on health insurance premiums. During the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, the school corporation will provide two insurance holidays in which employee premiums will not be deducted, which equates to just under $300 on the Lutheran Health Plan. Troyer estimates one holiday before Christmas break and one before spring break.
New teachers hired during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years will receive a lump sum allowance of $2,000 to be placed in a 403(b) account owned solely by the teacher. The school corporation will match the contribution of a teacher hired in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school year up to $2,000 if made by the end of the second year of employment.
The Wawasee School Corporation ADM (average daily membership) dropped by 56 students for this school year. However, the Indiana State Funding Formula increased which drew in $676,681 in new money from the state funding formula despite loss of revenue, which was invested into school staff.
The full Teacher Collective Bargaining Agreement is available online at wawaseeschools.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ash?moduleinstanceid=65&dataid=5754&FileName=Tenative%202023-2025%20CBA.pdf.
The next regular Wawasee School board meeting will be 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Wawasee High School Warrior Room, #1 Warrior Path, Building 1, Syracuse.