Willmar School Board approves teacher’s contract with 3% pay raise – West Central Tribune

WILLMAR — The Willmar School Board has approved a new contract for teachers in the district.

The agreement with Education Minnesota – Willmar includes a 10.48% increase in salary and benefits over two years. It covers the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years.

The total cost of the contract is approximately $3.25 million over the two-year contract, said Liz Windingstad, director of human resources.

The salary increase is about 3% each year. The contract settlement includes lane changes in the pay scale to even out changes from lane to lane.

The salary scale determines the salary in a grid of steps and lanes. Those who earn postgraduate college credit can move on to a new path with higher pay. Each lane has steps with increases given for years of experience.

In the previous contract, the salary differences between the steps were adjusted to make them more uniform, Windingstad said.

In this contract, the differences between the lanes have been adjusted. For that reason, increases could vary this year as adjustments are made, Windingstad said.

Several changes to the wording of the contract have been made.

The rules for determining seniority in the event of dismissal of staff have been modified in the contract. The bonuses offered to employees who do not use their personal leave during a school year have been adjusted. Premiums are paid into employees’ health or retirement savings accounts.

The equivalent of 364 full-time teachers are employed by the district. Because some teachers are part-time, the number of teachers is higher. It is the largest group of employees.