Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City teachers have negotiated $2,000 raises with their school board.
The annual increase is flat, across the board, but includes dropping a couple of steps at the bottom of the pay scale, for the 2024-2025 school year, so the district can offer a more attractive base salary of $49,212 for a beginning teacher with a bachelor’s degree. The contract also adds an 18th step at the top to reward and retain the district’s more experienced staff. Thus the most experienced and educated staff, with a master’s degree or its equivalent, could earn between $84,718 and $86,439 next year.
Unlicensed pre-kindergarten teachers will earn $33,000 this year and $35,000 next year. Part-time teachers will have salaries pro-rated based on the number of hours worked. The first raise is retroactive to the beginning of the school year, and there will be another $2,000 bump for each tier in 2024-2025.
The two-year contract also includes a comprehensive benefits package, including higher district contributions to health insurance, health savings accounts, and retirement accounts. In addition, the contract has language sought by the board that clarifies sick leave and other leaves, and swaps some sick leave for paid time off. Adjustments to coaching and co-curricular advisers are also included in the contract.
Board negotiator Sara Blom and Chair Jena Lilleberg told others at the meeting that the master contract has taken several months to come together, but they hope the deal will resolve several inequities between ACGC staff and staff in surrounding school districts.
ACGC struggled financially when enrollment dropped about the time of the 2008-2009 recession, causing the district to temporarily go into statutory operating debt. During this period, salary increases were low or flat, and teachers made concessions. Since that time, however, enrollment has stabilized and state aid to schools has slowly improved, leaving the district in a better financial position, allowing “catch up” measures. In fact, Blom told the board, this year’s district budget allows for a 10% to 12% increase in total staff compensation, thus accommodating the total 2023-2025 package increase of 11.9%.
Now that the contract has been agreed upon, it will be plugged into the district’s budget. Some adjustments are expected to be made to the initial ACGC budget after the board Finance Committee meets with the district’s contracted business manager March 5.
Among other business the board:
- Hired Tamie Fugelberg and MacKensie Fugelberg as paraeducators and accepted the resignation of paraeducator Lily Wattnem. The board also advanced six teachers on the lane pay scale due to their earning additional college credits.
- Heard from six of the 36 ACGC Student Council representatives and their adviser Shane Hagstrom. The students told the board about the council’s accomplishments this year, including a daily newscast, creating a newsletter, and sponsoring a range of activities, including homecoming week and coming Easter egg and medallion hunts, writing a constitution and dealing with student-raised concerns.
- Signed a 2025 agreement for Southwest-West Central Cooperative membership, at a lower rate than this year. Superintendent Kip Lynk noted that this is largely due to the district hiring its own additional speech therapist for next year rather than contracting with SWWC for much of that service.
- Another cost savings was achieved by signing a four-year Wide-Area Network Consortium Services Agreement that would, according to Lynk, save the district approximately $10,000-$15,000 per year over its previous arrangement for this service.
- Lilleberg reported that she was asked to testify before a House Education committee about the outcomes of four-day school weeks at ACGC.
- Elementary Principal Kodi Goracke updated the board on progress in expanding the district’s day care capacity. There has been a waiting list for this service, which the district coordinates with its ECFE preschool programming.
- Lynk told the board that the local Lions Clubs have invited him and High School/Middle School Principal Robin Wall to present at their joint club meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 7, at the Atwater Community Center.
