Baker School Board approves new two-year contract with teachers
By Joe Hathaway on Wednesday, April 17th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY – The Baker School Board has approved a new 2-year contract with Baker School District teachers.
During its meeting on the evening of Tuesday, April 16, the board ratified a labor deal, which continues through June 30, 2026, that includes 1% salary increases each year through 2026 for teachers and other certified employees.
In a statement, interim superintendent Betty Palmer says, “We’re thankful for the open communication and partnership with Baker Education Association that led to another successful negotiation process this year. The investment we make in our teachers is also an investment in our students and their families.”
Toni Myers, President of the Baker Education Association that represents teachers, sent Elkhorn Media Group this statement:
I am happy that our Board has ratified our contract for the 2024-2026 school years. I really enjoy the collaborative process that our bargain teams engage in to come to an agreement. When we are collaborative in our bargain process we understand the thought process behind the ask from the District and vice versa.
One of the more impactful articles is Article 25, which is new, describing the process of rehiring retired teachers. One of our goals was to have the contract laid out so when there were different people at the table they would know what we meant in our language.
Another important change is adding a stipend for our Special Education teachers as well as our homecoming advisors. Homecoming is very important in our community and our staff spend a significant amount of time preparing for that week.
Lastly, is the clarification on our calendar and work year. It was very important to our educators that we clarify how many student days and staff work days we have. We will have a minimum of 147 student days and a maximum of 175 contract days. We enjoy our calendar layout and want to have clarity in our contract.
In February 2023, the school board approved a massive pay structure that increased starting teacher salaries by $21,000, or 56%.
Under the new pay structure, the starting salary for a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree rose from $38,349 to $60,000. Educators with longer experience had smaller but significant increases.
