A new five year contract is in place at the Wilmette District 39 School Board following approval from both the school board and the union representing the teachers.
The District 39 School Board unanimously OK’d the new pact with the Wilmette Education Association at a brief Oct. 2 special meeting.
“The Board values the partnership with our talented and dedicated educators,” District 39 Board President Erin Stone said. “We are grateful for this agreement and look forward to continuing to work together toward the common goal of providing an outstanding education for the students of District 39.”
The new pact starts with the current school year and runs through 2027-2028, according to the statement. The agreement provides faculty with annual salary raises ranging from 2.5 to 5%, tied into the Consumer Price Index.
The average District 39 teacher salary is $86,561 according to the Illinois State Report Card.
Other highlights of the pact call for larger planning time for special education teachers, greater opportunities for support when assisting a student facing a crisis, revamped meeting schedules and additional stipends for service recognition, extra duties and educational advancement of teachers.
WEA President Anne Bishop wrote in an email the members ratified the agreement on Sept. 22. She did not provide the vote totals.
“We are proud of the efforts of our bargaining team and of the progress that we have made in this contract,” Bishop said in the statement. “The professionals that make up our membership work hard to make a difference every day in our schools; we appreciate the Board’s collaboration in negotiating a contract that reflects the value our community places on education. Over the next five years we will continue to advocate, as always, for the best possible working conditions for our members, in order to create the best possible learning conditions for our students.”
Bishop added there are approximately 350 WEA members including teachers plus other certified positions including social workers, psychologists, speech-language pathologists and certified school nurses.
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Wilmette District 39 includes four elementary schools plus Highcrest Middle School and Wilmette Junior High School.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.