Oconto Falls board approves 2.63% CPI raise, 0.34% supplemental and adopts alternative compensation model for certified staff

The Oconto Falls Public School District board approved certified-staff compensation changes during a special meeting after the superintendent said negotiations with the certified union had reached an impasse.

The superintendent summarized bargaining rounds earlier in the spring and recommended two actions allowable under the district's bargaining constraints: applying a 2.63% Consumer Price Index (CPI) base wage increase to the district's alternative compensation model and adding a 0.34% supplemental pay increase for certified staff for the 2026–27 school year. The superintendent said the goal is to provide clarity to certified staff so the district can issue contracts.

"We have reached an impasse," the superintendent said, describing the district's last discussions with OFUA. The board moved to approve the CPI-based increase and separately approved the 0.34% supplemental adjustment. Both motions were announced by the chair and carried by vote.

The board also approved an updated alternative compensation model that incorporates those increases. The superintendent clarified how step progression is earned: pathway 1 allows progression after completing nine graduate-level credits offered in-house (district institute pathway) and pathway 2 requires two summers of institute coursework plus ISTE certification. The superintendent noted a strict July 1 deadline for submitting documentation to receive step increases for the coming year but said the district will try to clarify timing for staff whose courses run into July.

The meeting record did not include salary tables or the total budgetary cost of the changes. The superintendent said the district hopes to continue conversations with union leadership after the actions taken during the special meeting.