District 204 teachers receiving 5% pay raises in first two years of new four-year contract

Indian Prairie Unit District 204 teachers will receive a 5% pay raise in each of the first two years of a new four-year contract announced at Monday's school board meeting.

Superintendent Adrian Talley, school board President Laurie Donahue and Indian Prairie Education Association President Katie Popp signed the contract on Monday, which was ratified last week by 76% of the more than 2,000 IPEA members.

In the final two years of the contract, raises will be equal to the Consumer Price Index, capped at 5%. Teachers also will receive a one-time bonus payment of $1,500.

"We are pleased to finalize a new contract that supports our teaching staff needs while meeting our fiscal responsibility to deliver a balanced budget," Donahue said in a statement.

Coaches, club sponsors, summer school and extended school year teachers, internal substitutes and lunchroom superintendents will see an increase in their stipends. The starting salary for first-year teachers will rise more than $2,000 to $49,476, and sick leave will increase from 12 to 13 days per school year.

The contract includes language where either side can terminate the contract after two years under certain circumstances.

"The result of this agreement reflects the collaborative relationship between the association and the board of education," Popp said in a statement.