The Merrillville School Board and its teachers union have ratified a two-year agreement that brings parity to the salary schedule and could influence teachers not to leave for higher paying jobs.
In a special meeting Monday, the school board unanimously approved the 2023-25 contract that provides an average raise of 10% for teachers in the first year and about 4% in the second year.
No one from the public or the board commented on it before the vote.
It elevates a beginner teacher’s salary from $46,250 to $49,000, retroactive to September. In the second year, it increases to $51,000. The contract runs from July 1 of this year to June 30, 2025.
Merrillville has about 400 teachers, said Tina Schultz, president of the Merrillville Classroom Teachers Association.
She said the main focus in the new contract addressed the salary compression some teachers in the middle of the salary ladder experienced.
For example, a teacher who joined Merrillville with a dozen years of experience earned less on the salary schedule than teachers with less experience who began careers in the district. The contract begins to level out that difference and teachers in the middle will see a higher bump in pay, Schultz said.
“For the longest time, we were raising it for first-year teachers, but our teachers in the middle — not so much,” she said.
In recent years, Merrillville began losing teachers to other districts and charters, which offered more money based on their experience.
“This hopefully makes us more competitive. I hope the teachers who left come back,” Schultz said.
After the meeting, Schultz thanked the school board. “It was a long time coming and you have made a lot of teachers happy,” she said. “Thank you for making this happen.”
Superintendent Nick Brown said the district has always had a good relationship with teachers.
“We appreciate that mutual respect. We appreciate the partnership. It’s a wonderful contract with a lot of good things.”
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
