November Voter-Approved Operating Levy Allows for Revamped Teacher Salaries 

Issued February 24, 2022

During the Tuesday, February 22, 2022 Shakopee Public Schools (district) board meeting, the Shakopee Education Association (SEA) Local #1346 Collective Bargaining Agreement was approved effective July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023.  The Agreement included adjustments to bring teacher compensation to the mid-range of comparable districts. These changes were made possible when voters approved both questions in the November 2021 operating levy election. 

District Director of Human Resources, Keith Gray presented the changes, which included detailed adjustments to teacher salary schedules in Year One and additional adjustments in Year Two, along with Health Insurance adjustments in both years, resulting in a 7.33% MSBA* calculation increase.  The revamped salary schedule puts salaries of Shakopee teachers in the mid-range of comparable districts beginning in April 2023.

Various board members discussed the open and collaborative negotiation process, and gratitude to the community in approving question 2 in the November 2022 election, which directly addresses moving teacher and support staff compensation towards the middle of comparison districts. School Board Chair Peterson thanked the community for their support in making the adjustments a reality. 

“Teachers in Shakopee are very appreciative of the community’s support for the levy and the difference it will make for us in reaching the average of our comparison districts by the end of this settlement. We are thankful for the School Board and the District leadership who recognized the need for competitive pay and then followed through with an agreement that allows that to happen by April of 2023,” notes Dale Anderson, SEA President. “As a representative of Shakopee teachers, I am proud of their quality and character, and so I am greatly encouraged to work with leaders who not only say that they value teachers but are willing to demonstrate that by collaborating with us to develop an innovative solution to a challenging problem in reaching this settlement.”

Superintendent Mike Redmond shared additional details regarding the district’s financial future relative to the Agreement, noting that funds from the voter-approved operating levy do not arrive in the district until the start of the 2022-23 school year; specifically July 1, 2022, which is the start of the district’s next fiscal year.

“Next school year marks a new financial reality in which we do exactly what we said we were going to do when talking about the operating levy: Improve compensation of teachers and support staff moving towards mid-range of comparable districts. And the approval of this Agreement is another positive step in the right direction for our district and community,” shares Redmond. “We are looking forward to also working with our support staff on future contracts and agreements, creating new pay rates and schedules that will also move these groups of employees towards the middle of our comparison districts.”

For the full Collective Bargaining Agreement included in the board agenda, please click here. 

*The Minnesota School Board Association calculation is a method used by the majority of school districts.