Springfield Public Schools (SPS) and its employee unions have reached agreements on pay raises for the 2026-27 school year. The agreements, approved by the Springfield Board of Education, include a step on the salary schedule and a $500 one-time stipend for employees.

Background

The collective bargaining process began in February, with the district spending about 44 hours with the Springfield National Education Association (SNEA) and 6.5 hours with Teamsters to reach their agreements. The SNEA represents nine groups of district employees, including educators, nurses, and administrative assistants.

According to SPS officials, the district had to choose between granting a step on the salary schedule and a cost-of-living adjustment due to reduced state funding and declining enrollment. The step advancement and cost-of-living adjustment were estimated to cost about $4 million each.

Agreement Details

The agreements include an increased base on the stipend schedule, a change in payout of sick leave for eligible employees, and an increase in hours for special education employees to fill out required federal paperwork. The agreements also provide for a split-class teaching stipend, regular hourly rates for school nurses who take on substitute teaching duties, and an increase in the uniform allowance for police officers.

SPS Superintendent Grenita Lathan stated that while the district couldn’t afford everything, she appreciated some perks that the agreements give teachers, including the split-class teaching stipend. Shannon Benne, president of the SNEA, said that employees wanted both the salary step and a cost-of-living adjustment but understood the impact of the legislature’s funding decisions.

The district’s budget for the 2026-27 school year includes revenues of $373,398,434 and expenditures of $374,046,190. The budget reduces the available workforce by the equivalent of more than 66 full-time equivalent positions.

Original reporting: Springfield Daily Citizen — read the source article.