Washington School District, teachers reach contract agreement
Washington School Board approved a five-year contract with the Washington Education Association.
The new contract, which was unanimously approved at the Sept. 9 school board meeting, will run through June 30, 2024.
The teachers ratified the contract Sept. 4.
“It’s a fair contract that both parties are satisfied with, and most importantly, students were placed at the center of the contract,” said Superintendent James Konrad.
The contract includes an average 3½% increase in teachers’ salaries over the life of the contract.
Another key item is health care, where contributions remain the same throughout the life of the contract.
In addition, the school district and teachers’ union collaborated on innovative ways to provide additional support services and resources to children through a variety of duties, Konrad said.
An example is Check-In Connect, where teachers meet with small groups of students to help them manage issues including behavior, attendance and school performance.
“Both the administration and association worked diligently and collaboratively to ensure we’re providing services that are in the best interests of the children,” said Konrad.
At its meeting Monday, the school board also approved a five-year contract with the Washington Education Support Professionals, which will run from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2025.
The union includes maintenance, custodian, paraprofessionals and secretaries.
The contract averages out to about a 2½% salary increase over the five years.
There is no increase in health care costs, and there is a small increase in the retirement package.
“They do incredible things behind the scenes and have a huge impact on the district,” said Konrad.
In another matter, Konrad told school board members that the administration is working to reduce absenteeism – both excused and unexcused absences.
School officials looked at how many school days students missed, and they are working on plans to get more children into the classroom in order to improve academic success.
“I’m sympathetic to why kids are out, but it’s a day missed and an opportunity lost, and it leads to lower academic achievement,” said Konrad. (Absenteeism) is a detriment to a student’s academic achievement. If they’re in the building, they’re going to learn. The biggest hurdle in our district is attendance.”
Konrad said the school district makes phone calls and conducts home visits aimed at improving attendance, and noted the school district works to establish good relationships with families to understand the challenges some students face getting to school and help remove those barriers.
There are 181 school days, and students and their parents face the possibility of fines and other penalties for excessive absenteeism.
For example, after the sixth missed day, parents or guardians are called in for a “school attendance improvement conference.”
In Washington School District, like most districts, attendance is linked to participation in extracurricular activities and other events such as sports, clubs, and field trips.