New 4-year deal struck between DeKalb teachers’ union, School District 428

DeKALB – DeKalb School District 428 and the DeKalb Classroom Teachers’ Association teachers’ union have struck a deal on a four-year contract that includes pay increases to address teacher salary competitiveness and retention.

The agreement comes in time for union members to avoid a lapse in coverage set by the terms of a prior expiring contract and weeks before students return for the new school year.

Representatives of the teachers’ union said a highlight of the deal includes pay raises for DeKalb teachers to make the positions more competitive with the hiring market and, hopefully, ensure more retention among staff.

The agreement was approved at a recent special school board meeting. The deal went into effect Tuesday and runs through July 31, 2027.

Kevin Boland, a negotiator for DCTA, said the DCTA is ecstatic about the terms of the new agreement and what it offers.

“Really what excites me is, I think, is it gives us a good solid competitive contract to try to attract new teachers and retain the teachers that we have,” Boland said. “We know the market is really tight right now, and it’s hard to find teachers, so having a strong contract can certainly sway some people into coming out to DeKalb and joining us and sharing their passions.”

Over the course of the agreement, teachers in DeKalb schools may be eligible for base salary increases of 3% in 2023-24 and 2024-25 and 2.87% in 2025-26 and 2026-27, school board documents show.

In a statement to the Daily Chronicle, DeKalb Superintendent Minerva Garcia-Sanchez gave kudos to all parties involved for helping to make the agreement possible.

“I want to thank everyone who worked so diligently to reach an agreement that reflects our commitment to supporting our educators and working together to provide an excellent and comprehensive educational experience for our students,” Garcia-Sanchez said in a statement. “Both sides of the table kept that vital priority in mind throughout this process.”

The prior agreement was set to expire July 31 before the school board reached an agreement on the new deal, according to school board documents.

The latest contract was ratified by the DCTA on July 15, school officials said.

Boland said the DCTA is content with the deal that was struck between the two sides.

“DCTA is definitely happy with the outcome of negotiations,” Boland said. “Our members ratified the contract 95%.”

“We know the market is really tight right now, and it’s hard to find teachers, so having a strong contract can certainly sway some people into coming out to DeKalb and joining us and sharing their passions.”

—  Kevin Boland, a negotiator for DCTA

Garcia-Sanchez said she is glad negotiations between the two sides are complete.

“We are very pleased to have the new agreement completed in advance of the current contract’s expiration date so that we can wholly focus on starting our 2023-2024 school year in just a few short weeks,” Garcia-Sanchez said in a statement.

DeKalb school will return Aug. 17.

Mary Lynn Buckner, co-president of the DCTA, said she doesn’t feel the agreement left the DCTA yearning for anything more.

“I think both sides had to reach some compromises but both sides I think got what they needed out of this,” Buckner said. “The DCTA is satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations.”

Boland said he believes the contract does a good job of serving the DCTA and its mission of supporting the district’s teachers.

“The teachers, I think, should be feeling valued with this contract and certainly the board got some extra time for parent-teacher conferences, so time for us to communicate and work with our families and some extra institute time,” he said. “I think all sides walked away from this contract getting things that were important to them coming in.”

Garcia-Sanchez said she believes the district was able to protect the interests of students, families and the community by moving ahead with this agreement.

“Ultimately we want to ensure that our district is fiscally sound and equipped to grow and adapt to our community’s diverse and evolving educational needs,” Garcia-Sanchez said in a statement. “To do that successfully, we need dedicated educators and administrators working together to achieve the district’s priorities, which I’m proud to say is a strength of our district. This contract helps establish a road map for us to continue moving forward in our collaborative work on behalf of our students.”