St. Cloud Area Schools, Education Association reach tentative 2-year agreement

The St. Cloud Area School District announced that a tentative two-year agreement was reached with the St. Cloud Education Association (SCEA) for the 2023-2025 teacher contract.

The agreement still needs to be ratified by the SCEA and the Board of Education, according to a news release from the district.

The most recent contract expired on June 30.

The terms of the tentative agreement include a condition called “step movement,” which is described as an increase in teacher salary pay from 0-4.5% per year, depending on where a teacher is currently placed on “the 11-step salary schedule.”

This means the teacher salary schedule will increase by 4% in year one and by 2.25% in the second year on both the regular salary schedule and the extra-curricular schedules.

The news release states that teachers will also see a 5% increase in the district’s contribution to family health insurance in the first year. There will also be increases in longevity pay for teachers who have been with the district for 12 years or more.

The agreement also includes adding 15 minutes per day to the teacher duty day for teacher collaboration time across all school sites. This means the salary schedule will increase an additional 3.45% for the 2024-2025 school year, the district says.

The news release states that the total cost of the agreement is 9.27% over two years, plus the cost of the additional duty time, increasing the total package to 12.07%.

Teachers with the St. Cloud Education Association are set to vote on ratifying the agreement on Feb. 20 and 21. If passed, the Board of Education will vote on it during the evening of Feb. 21 during the 6:30 p.m. board meeting at the District Administrative Office.