New Kaneland contract raises pay 3.31% on average, to almost 5% annually
Kaneland teachers' pay will be increased, on average, 3.31% to 4.97% annually, under a new five-year contract the school board approved Aug. 5.
The contract calls for an average increase of 4.97% the first year; 3.37% the second; 4.41% the third; 3.31% the fourth; and 4.32% the fifth, according to Superintendent Todd Leden.
Not all teachers will receive the same percentage increase. It will depend on where they fall on the salary matrix, which categorizes teachers by their amount of experience and education.
Starting pay for a teacher with no experience and a bachelor's degree will increase about $115 this year to $41,500, and rise to $43,269 in the final year. When negotiations began, Kaneland's starting salary ranked ninth out of 10 districts in Kane County.
Union members said during rallies in June and July that the district was losing teachers to better-paying ones in the area. The 2017-18 school report card for the district showed a three-year average retention rate of 86.4%. The stage average was 85.2%. In Kane County, retention rates ranged from 79% in the St. Charles district to 91% in Batavia.
Teachers also will receive more sick days. Previously, all were entitled to 12 days a year. Now they may have up to 16, depending on how long they have worked for the district.
The West Aurora school district has reached a tentative deal with its teachers union; the union will vote on the contract Friday, and the school board may vote on it next week, according to a union spokesman.
The Batavia, Oswego and Dundee school districts also are negotiating contracts.