Teachers in the Edmonds School District will receive a 2% pay rise this fall after the Edmonds School Board of Directors voted Tuesday night to approve contractual agreements for the 2021-22 school year.

The board voted at its July 13 business meeting to approve a recent agreement between the district negotiating team and the Edmonds Education Association (EEA), which represents certified teachers in the district. According to the agreement, teachers will also receive an increase of $ 1,250 for each step of their salary grid. The 2% increase is funded by the state.

Initially, the district planned to resume negotiating a three-year contract with the teachers, which it has not done since last August. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, negotiating teams agreed to a one-year extension of last year’s contract. EEA President Andi Nofziger-Meadow said the extension allows more flexibility for future negotiations during the pandemic.

“People really don’t know what this year will look like,” she said.

The district switched to e-learning last March when state officials ordered schools to close to curb the spread of the coronavirus. This fall, the district plans to fully reopen its school buildings to in-person learning while providing an online learning option for students who choose to stay remotely.

Nofziger-Meadow also said teachers have yet to assess the needs of students who have been out of a traditional school environment for 15 months. This will help the EEA determine the priorities to bring to the bargaining table next spring.

“We really need to take some time this fall and winter to assess the situation so that we can determine what these high priority items are for our next big contract,” she said.

The 2021-22 schedule includes a base contract of 183 days and five designated additional days. An extra working day was also added, Nofziger-Meadow said. Based on the feedback received so far, Nofziger-Meadow said teachers are “quite happy” with the deal and have expressed appreciation for their negotiating team.

Communications manager Harmony Weinberg said the district leaders were delighted to reach an agreement so quickly “to meet the needs of our staff so that they can continue their great work for our children.”

–By Cody Sexton