The Plymouth Community School Board members ratified the Master Teacher Contract during their meeting Tuesday night.
The Plymouth Community School Corporation administration and the Plymouth Education Association Negotiations Team worked on a robust new contract that officials say “puts the students and teachers at the forefront.”
In a press release on the matter, school officials say the State has not “allocated the necessary funds to provide teachers with equitable raises to keep up with their years of experience as well as inflation.” This year, they say, is different.
The Plymouth Education Association aimed to increase teacher pay in a fair and equitable manner and addressing the extra curricular aspect of the contract, which had not been significantly discussed in over a decade. Research was done to add roles and activities to broaden the opportunities for students.
Superintendent Mitch Mawhorter said teachers will receive at least a $3,000 raise. The salary for beginning teachers was raised from $40,000 to $46,000 and there were adjustments made to the pay scale to give teachers with experience additional pay. The adjustments also allow the corporation to be more competitive in attracting and retaining teachers.
Mawhorter also noted that a 2.5 percent increase in health insurance through the MASE Trust will be absorbed by the corporation and not passed to the staff.
Plymouth Education Association Chairperson and Co-President Laura Kruyer stated that the extracurricular schedule was overhauled to include new Junior High sports, PHS eSports, summer orchestra, and a robotics program which may be extended down to the elementary buildings.
Formal negotiations in September led to the unanimous ratification of the proposed contract by the Plymouth Education Association and later by the school board Tuesday night.
