District 212 Board of Education approves new contract

The support and teaching staffs at Leyden High School District 212 recently voted to ratify new four-year contracts with the Board of Education.

Regarding the teaching staff, an adjustment was made to the base pay, an amount that has remained the same for the past four years. The salary for a new teacher with no prior experience will increase by $3,718. This will help the district to continue to attract and retain high quality teachers for years to come, says Leyden Superintendent Nick Polyak.

Polyak adds that "significant language was changed in the contracts to support using the new facilities currently under construction. In two years, the district will move to a new daily schedule that includes a student advisory period during the school day."

According to the superintendent, the teaching contract addressed the changes in state law that now limit end of career salary increases to a 3% cap as opposed to a 6% cap. In both contracts, annual salary cost increases range between 3.0% and 4.25% for the district. Employees in both contracts will also begin contributing slightly more for their health care costs and deductibles.

"Both bargaining processes were incredibly productive and collaborative," Polyak says. "By keeping our focus on 'What's Best for the Kids', both sides were able to work together on student-centered language that fairly compensates our Leyden faculty and staff."