Kansas City Public Schools teachers will receive a 5% base salary raise after the school board approved a new collective bargaining agreement with the Kansas City Federation of Teachers, the district’s teachers union. Superintendent Jennifer Collier called the raise “historic.”
The new agreement will bring the starting teacher salary to a competitive $50,558 annually, maintaining the district’s position as one of the highest-paying school districts for teachers in the region. The agreement also includes 5% raises for classified and child nutrition staff.
Details of the Agreement
The agreement lasts until July 1, 2029, but it specifies that the union can return to negotiate salary increases annually. The district agreed to share more information with the union, including about contractors and about noncertified staff filling certified positions.
The base salary for a teacher with only a bachelor’s degree will go up 5%, from $48,150 to a bit more than $50,558. The increase to the base also bumps up the salaries for teachers with more experience or education. For example, a highly educated beginning teacher could earn close to $53,000 while a very experienced teacher with only a bachelor’s degree could earn nearly $69,000.
Resource teachers, librarians and counselors are included in the certified staff agreement but have separate salary schedules. They earn more but also work more days.
Impact on Teachers and the District
Carter Taylor, an elementary teacher and legislative chair for the local union, said the raises feel like a “massive win” in the current climate of threats to school funding from the local, state and federal levels. The district estimates it will spend more than $110 million on certified staff salaries and benefits for the upcoming school year.
The district also anticipates spending about $53.9 million — about $2.8 million more than the previous year — on salaries and benefits for 730 classified staff members such as paraprofessionals, interpreters, school nurses, secretaries and security staff.
Original reporting: The Beacon (Kansas City) — read the source article.
