Richmond Community Schools and Richmond Education Association are pleased to announce that they have successfully reached a two-year collective bargaining agreement after productive negotiations. The agreement reflects the commitment of both parties to work together to create a fair and sustainable contract focused on wages and benefits.
Key highlights of the new collective bargaining agreement include:
- Implementation of a salary schedule commensurate with education and years of experience.
- A starting salary of $46,000.
- An average increase of 10% per teacher or $4,500, with a minimum additional compensation of $1,000.
- Ancillary duty compensation for absorption or supervision of classes and an attendance incentive.
- On average, teachers will receive a 10% raise.
- 50% will receive 10% or more
- 27% will receive 5% to 9%
- 12% will receive the minimum of a one-time stipend in the amount of $1,000. The average salary of this group is $71,408.
- On average, teachers will receive a $4,500 increase
- 84% will receive over $1,000
- 79% will receive over $2,000
- 67% will receive over $3,000
- 56% will receive over $4,000
- The highest amount awarded is $10,611
Dr. Curtis Wright, RCS Superintendent of Schools stated, “We are pleased to have reached a contractual agreement with our classroom teachers that reflects the needs of our faculty, staff, and students. Upon coming home, I have consistently expressed that the most impactful people in our classrooms are our classroom teachers. This teacher's contract is further confirmation that our corporation is committed to action-based leadership. As a result of such leadership, we have strengthened the partnership with our classroom teachers which will be of benefit to the students that our teachers selflessly serve.”
Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) UniServ Director and former REA President, Scott Priest, acknowledged that this teacher’s contract is “the most significant contractual agreement in the history of Richmond Community Schools”. Vice-President of Richmond Education Association Jay Lee shared, “This is not a RCS contract nor a REA contract. This is ouR contract.”
RCS Board of School Trustees President, Nicole Stults said, that "the school board is proud of the work accomplished by our dedicated teams during the bargaining process and the number of hours put forth to get a positive result. This is an unprecedented pay increase and I believe it demonstrates our appreciation for our teachers and sets the stage for the future success of RCS!"
Pending the approval of our School Board of Trustees, the new collective bargaining agreement will be in effect for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years.