MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
The USD 308 Board of Education approved a new teacher contract with NEA-Hutchinson on Monday evening, along with several facility upgrades and agreements with community partners.
The newly ratified agreement increases the base salary for district teachers by $2,900. Starting pay for a new teacher with a bachelor’s degree will now be $49,500. Experienced educators holding a master’s degree plus 60 credit hours and 16 years of service could earn up to $74,799. The district will also contribute $615 per month toward employee health insurance premiums.
The contract also establishes supplemental stipends for coaching and extracurricular activity roles, ranging from $723 for an assistant Key Club sponsor to $8,062 for the high school head football coach.
In other action, the board approved the district’s Cardiac Emergency Plan and greenlit multiple facility improvement projects. These include the $29,667.55 purchase of a rooftop HVAC unit for the Hutchinson High School north gym and $25,667.55 for solar shades to be installed in 20 classrooms at Faris Elementary, which includes the removal of existing blinds.
The board also approved a slate of partnership agreements with local and regional organizations. These include the Boys & Girls Club of Hutchinson, ESSDACK, JAG-K, McAdams Academy, Reno County Education Cooperative #610, Salthawk Community Support at Trinity United Methodist Church, United Way of Reno County, and a swimming pool rental agreement with the YMCA.