NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson USD 308 Superintendent Dr. Dawn Johnson is pleased that contract negotiations between the district's teachers and the school board are already done for 2023-2024.
"Everyone is advocating for growth and for salaries to increase," Johnson said. "It has been a very positive experience for everyone involved in the last couple of years and so I appreciate that we come together, have good conversations and we start off the school year having negotiations wrapped up. Even more, really, honestly, impressive, and I just have to give kudos to a lot of people in the district, especially to Sheila Meggers, our finance director, we've been able to do this in a declining enrollment."
The agreement between HNEA and the Board of Education includes an increase of $600 on the base. The new base is $42,600, which is still the highest in Reno County. Step movement for teachers is allowed. This allows for an increase anywhere from $600 to $1200 for teachers coming back to the district. There was also an increase in health insurance covered by the board from $520/month to $530/month and also Retention Bonus pay of $1,250. Total increase, all told, is about 6%.
"It is about just being strategic with the funds that we have," Johnson said. "Making sure that we are taking care of our employees and setting ourselves up to be able to do what we need to do when negotiations comes around."
USD 308 also has a lot of long-time employees of the district.
"Fifty-four percent of our staff have been with us for five years or more," said spokesperson Stacy Goss. "Thirty-two percent have been with us 10 years or more and 20 percent have been with us 15 years or more. That speaks a lot to the culture that we have built and are continuing to build on at USD 308."
Johnson said the district will also work with the union to look at their discipline process and teacher plan times through two working groups this year.
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