Wichita teachers would get a pay raise under a tentative contract agreement announced Tuesday.
A deal reached with United Teachers of Wichita would raise teachers' base salaries by 1.5%.
Some teachers would get bonuses linked to additional experience and education, known as "steps" and "tracks," or for serving in hard-to-fill positions.
The proposed contract would also increase what the district pays for teachers' healthcare premiums. Teachers would keep their current plans and premiums.
In an e-mailed statement, district officials said the total value of the contract package, including pay and benefits, is 5.11%.
The agreement also calls for a work group to study planning time and make recommendations to the school board.
Under the agreement, the district would provide teachers two half-days of inservice time — one each semester — for "educator-directed collaboration, including paperwork and/or planning, while maintaining required state instructional hours."
After declaring an impasse in negotiations in July, United Teachers of Wichita had said that key sticking points included planning time and student behavior. A spokesperson for the union said that if the district could not offer teachers a higher raise, the union would propose more planning time.
Under the proposed contract, high school teachers may be required to attend their school’s graduation ceremony, counting as one of three mandatory evening events.
Teachers will vote on the proposed contract over the next week. If they ratify it, it will go to the Wichita Board of Education for final approval.
