COEUR d'ALENE — An extended bargaining season has concluded for the Coeur d'Alene School District and the Coeur d'Alene Education Association.

A tentative agreement between the district and the teachers' union was reached last week and officially ratified Monday.

"It was good to just have this done," Coeur d'Alene Education Association President Aaron Hayes said Monday evening after presenting his report the Coeur d'Alene School Board.

He said fall is when financial discussions for the year ahead need to take place.

"A lot of people had anxiety about how things were going to go," Hayes said. "It's good to be done with this and move on to the next."

The negotiating teams unanimously reached the tentative agreement when they met Oct. 7 for the final interest-based bargaining session.

According to the agreement, changes to benefits plans were not negotiated because the 2023-2024 plan rolled over into the 2024-2025 school year, with its associated rate increase of 7.65%, before the negotiating teams were able to agree on this item.

All staff will receive $1,000 stipends, before taxes, in November. Stipends will be prorated by the employee's 2024-2025 full-time equivalency.

All classified employees, as approved by the school board Sept. 9, will receive a salary step equal to a 3% salary increase. A 3% salary increase will be implemented for all classified-exempt employees, not on a salary schedule.

A salary step will be added for all administrative staff plus a one-time increase of 3.45% to the administrator base salary, less the amount of a step, for administrators who are moving on the salary schedule. This is equivalent to the certificated agreement, which is a step (3.45% of the certificated base) and a one-time increase equivalent to the step for staff who are not experiencing movement. 

Certified staff will not receive increases on the certified base, including extracurricular coaches and advisers, per the established master articles of agreement. However, certified staff will be awarded a full salary step equivalent to a 3.45% increase on the base salary.

Education lanes will be awarded as teachers further their own educations. Longevity stipends will be increased by $250. One-time stipends of $1,638 will be awarded to all certificated staff at step 15 and beyond. New hard-to-fill stipends of $2,500 will go to school nurses. Hard-to-fill stipends identified on the '23-'24 salary schedule for all other employee groups will roll over to the 2024-2025 school year.

Several memorandums of understanding were agreed upon as well.

According to a district memo to staff that went out with the tentative agreement Wednesday, 92% of the district’s available, ongoing funding in the current fiscal year — $2.9 million — is expected to be spent on employee salaries and benefits. Salaries/benefits make up 85% of the district’s budget. The ongoing salary increase for certificated staff is 55% of the available funding, while the increase to classified is 35% and administration is 3%.

"The past year was challenging as the board, district and school leadership worked diligently to reduce the 2025 budget by $6 million to align with a decline in student enrollment," the memo states. "While it was very difficult to reduce employee positions, programs, close a school and outsource food services, it was the right work. As a result of the board’s efforts to streamline the budget, the district is in a position to provide salary increases to our most valued resource — our staff."

While the agreement between the district and the teachers' union was unanimous, the vote within the Coeur d'Alene Education Association was not, Hayes said.

"There were a lot of people who felt like the district could have made some more long-term commitments about inflationary adjustments and things, but we also in the end respect that it's very difficult to predict those continuing budgetary things," he said. "I know there were also a number of people disappointed in the lack of movement on the advanced professional conversation. That's very labor intensive on those teachers."

He said Coeur d'Alene is a district that financially recognizes those accomplishments, but some teachers feel that's something the district could recognize more, considering the amount of effort that goes into them.

Hayes said everyone needs to understand the degree to which the Idaho Legislature needs to put forward reliable support for education.

"It's their job, and we as a community have high expectations for public education and we as a community are stepping up," Hayes said. "But it's the state that needs to continue to make decisions that will not make the teachers in the district constantly battle over the last little bits they've decided to send out our way."

In the memo, the district said it is pleased to reach the agreement and looks forward to a continued partnership to achieve a shared desired outcome.

Board trustees will be at a Levy Fresh Air Forum from 4:30 to 5:30 this evening at Dalton Gardens Park, 6360 N. Fourth St. They will hold another Fresh Air Forum to discuss the upcoming supplemental levy election from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday at Person Field, 701 N. 15th St. 

    Hayes