Wichita teachers’ union votes yes on new contract with USD 259 as school year begins
Wichita school district teachers voted overwhelmingly to approve a new union contract with USD 259 as the new academic year began this week, citing pay increases and bonuses that recognize teachers’ work in the pandemic.
Nearly 66% of certified staff voted on the contract, said Brent Lewis, president of United Teachers of Wichita, the union that represents USD 259 teachers as well as nurses, counselors and other staff.
Of those voting, 93.5% voted yes on the agreement, while 6.5% voted no. The contract covers more than 4,000 teachers and staff across the district, and will last for one year.
“It showed the Board of Education was trying to acknowledge the challenge of keeping up with rising prices, with a 2.5% increase to our base salary,” Lewis said. “As well as recognizing the difficult circumstances we have been working under from last year to this.”
The agreement will still need to be ratified by the Wichita school board before it is finalized.
The outcome differs from last fall, when teachers voted to reject a contract offer from the district, citing concerns about lack of salary increases, teacher workload and coronavirus safety in the pandemic. Teachers later voted to ratify a new contract in December after USD 259 offered a one-time bonus.
The new contract includes a 2.5% salary increase and a 4% one-time bonus, split into two payments.
The first 2% is for last year’s district employees who returned for this school year. The second 2% will be paid at the end of the upcoming academic year for those who complete the contract term. It’s a retention bonus for those who have continued to work in schools throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition, there was no increase to employees’ health insurance premiums for the seventh year in a row.
Parental leave for the non-delivering parent increased from three to five days. Leave for adoptive parents increased as well, from 14 to 15 days.
The contract also increases the number of Individualized Education Program, or IEP, work days from two and a half to four days.
“In this industry we’re always trying to address workload concerns,” Lewis said. “It’s demanding work and you have to try to make sure it is sustainable.”
The Wichita school district announced earlier this summer it had reached tentative agreements with both the United Teachers of Wichita and the Service Employees International Union Local 513, which represents non-teacher staff at USD 259.
Members of SEIU Local 513 voted to approve their new union contracts last month, also voting largely in favor of what the union contended was a good agreement.
During last year’s UTW contract vote, there was a lot of uncertainty around both the COVID-19 pandemic and school budgets as education, like other sectors, was turned upside down, Lewis said.
“I think by this year, we have pretty well gotten our feet under us,” Lewis said. “And the Board of Education recognized the incredible resilience and sacrifice of our professionals to get the job done under difficult circumstances.”
Teachers are generally excited for the new school year, while remaining vigilant that there’s another round of pandemic schooling ahead, along with the anxiety and safety concerns that COVID-19 brings on. Teachers are concerned about any educational gaps facing students and are focused on keeping kids on track.
“But once the school fills with students again, it reminds us all why we got into this profession,” Lewis said.
This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 9:47 AM.
