Lake County Schools reached a tentative agreement with the Lake County Education Association (LCEA) for the 2021-22 teacher contract, which proposes a retention bonus for teachers, pay raises, and an increase in beginning teacher salaries.
The district also reached a tentative agreement with the Service Employee International Union (SEIU), which represents classified non-instructional employees. It proposes a retention bonus for those employees as well.
“These agreements are the result of collaborative and important work conducted by the district and both unions for our employees, who have exhibited immense professionalism, flexibility and compassion during an extremely challenging time for educators and school employees everywhere,” Superintendent Diane Kornegay said. “I want to thank everyone who participated in this process to help us recruit and retain the best teachers and support staff for our students.”
“This is not everything we would love to have for teachers, but it is a wonderful beginning,” LCEA President Kathy Smith said. “It’s not enough for how much our teachers have worked, especially during a pandemic, but it was important for us to get something done as soon as possible, knowing that we will come back in the spring to work on many more things at that point. There was a lot of give and take, and a lot of hard work, but we worked together to provide the best we could for teachers at the time.”
If ratified when the teachers union votes on a date to be scheduled soon and then approved by the School Board when it is scheduled for their consideration on Feb. 17, instructional personnel will receive an initial $2,000 shortly after the board approval and an additional $1,000 in the fall of the 2022-23 school year.
The same timing of the $3,000 bonus payments would apply to classified non-instructional employees if their agreement is ratified and approved.
“I’m not sure if you realize what this is going to do for some of your employees,” Kim Cronin, SEIU president, said to School Board members in a discussion of their agreement on Monday night. “Some of your employees probably would never have that much money in their hand at one time, and I know some of them are probably crying tonight. I want to thank you for your generosity. It is appreciated.”
The School Board intends to use $18,676,507 from federal funding for employee retention bonuses, an expenditure prioritized by participants in a community survey conducted late last year to help the district determine how to spend money from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER).
Instructional personnel also will receive a recurring pay raise based on their performance evaluation results from last year. Those on the pay-for-performance schedule will receive $812.50 for a highly effective rating and $406.25 for an effective rating. Teachers on the grandfathered pay schedule will receive a $650 increase for a highly effective rating and a $406.25 increase for an effective rating. State law mandates the difference in pay between the two pay scales.
Additionally, the agreement increases the beginning teacher salary in Lake from $44,750 to $45,725. The district continues to strive toward the goal of $47,500 for beginning teachers established by state law. Until that goal is reached, state law caps the annual pay increases available to existing teachers.
