Janesville board approves tentative JEA contract with 8% base pay increase for certified staff

The Janesville School District Board of Education on Aug. 8 unanimously approved a tentative contract with the Janesville Education Association (JEA) that district staff described as an 8% base wage increase for certified staff for the 2023–24 school year.

The board was told the package amounts to a 5.9% average increase overall and that the JEA membership ratified the agreement prior to the board vote. "President Hayworth, I'd like to move that we accept and approve the agreement with the JEA of an 8 point or 8% base wage increase for the 2023 school year for the certified staff," said Cathy, who moved the motion. A second was recorded and the board approved the agreement by voice vote, recorded as 9–0.

District staff framed the change as a negotiated cost-of-living and base-wage adjustment; the board clarified the distinction between the 8% base-wage figure and a 5.9% average increase across the package. "And 8% base wage is 5.9% average," the chair noted during the clarification. The transcript records the agreement as having been ratified by the union membership before the board considered the motion.

The board did not record dissenting votes and no amendments to the tentative agreement were announced at the meeting. The board's action was procedural approval of the tentative agreement; next steps typically include final contract processing with payroll and related administrative steps.

Action recorded: motion made by Cathy, seconded by Kevin; vote tally 9 yes, 0 no. The board approved the tentative agreement.