Board approves negotiated agreement; certified staff average raise about 4%

TONGANOXIE, Kan. — Tonganoxie USD 464’s board on Aug. 11 approved a negotiated agreement with certified staff after what district leaders described as collaborative negotiations.
A board member and district leaders said the average raise for certified staff in the agreement is “right at 4.03%.” The superintendent and negotiators said most new funding and some growth- and state-aid increases were directed to teacher salaries.
“We tried to make sure that we're really competitive from a teacher salary perspective,” a board speaker said. “All of the new money plus some that we got from growth and state aid…went to fund that appropriately.”
Participants described the negotiations as collaborative. A staff member who participated said both sides listened and that the process produced a positive outcome.
Board action: The board moved and approved the negotiated agreement, 5-0.
Why it matters: Teacher compensation influences recruitment and retention, and board members said the district wanted to remain competitive in the local market; district leaders noted that other local districts gave smaller increases or none at all.
What’s next: The agreement will be implemented as part of the district’s payroll and budget processes.