Kalispell Public Schools teachers and other certified staff have a new two-year contract that replaces the district’s usual percentage raises with flat-dollar increases, a shift driven by Montana’s STARS Act. 

For the 2026-27 school year, teachers will receive a $1,050 increase, followed by a $700 increase in 2027-28, applied across all steps and lanes of the salary schedule. Steps and lanes reflect education level and years of service. 

With those increases, a first-year teacher will earn $48,763 next school year and $49,463 in 2027-28. 

The agreement between the district and the Kalispell Education Association takes effect July 1 and runs through June 30, 2028. 

The collective bargaining agreement affects about 430 certified employees, including school nurses, psychologists and speech-language pathologists, and 366 of them are union members. 

District Business and Finance Director Chris Campbell said the move from percentage raises to flat-dollar increases is intended to comply with the Student and Teacher Advancement for Results and Success Act, which incentivizes Montana public schools to raise starting teacher pay. 

To qualify for the financial incentive, starting teacher pay must be a certain percentage of what teachers earned on average the prior fiscal year, according to state guidance. That threshold is 64% in fiscal year 2027 and rises to 70% by fiscal year 2030. 

According to Campbell, percentage raises widen the gap between starting and max pay and could jeopardize the district’s eligibility for the incentive. 

Kalispell Education Association President Anthony Lapke said the shift to a flat-monetary increase “compresses wages” and limits wage growth for veteran and beginning teachers, in a phone interview with the Inter Lake. 

“Also, having raises that don’t keep up with the cost of living presents significant challenges to teaching staff,” Lapke said. “The dollar amount, $1,050, doesn’t stretch very far,” he said, nor does $700. 

The union ratified the contract June 4, with 67% voting in favor and 33% against it. Lapke said the opposition was higher than in past collective bargaining agreements. 

“It’s really clear that flat raises that are not percent raises are not preferred,” Lapke said. 

Preliminary negotiations began in late January and concluded at the end of May. 

“We really wanted to take care of everybody,” Lapke said. “We had a proposal to reward longevity and service. We got some movement, but not as much as we liked.”  

He said the union also sought schedule changes at the elementary and middle school levels to add more prep time. Lapke said incremental progress was made in hopes of having a broader overall impact. 

“Overall, it was a smooth process, though always challenging because both groups are trying to prioritize the needs of the school district and the needs of our members,” he said. “People worked pretty hard to find compromises and seek solutions.” 

School Trustee Carrie Eklund, who served on the negotiations committee, offered a similar statement at Tuesday’s board meeting, where trustees unanimously approved the contract. 

“It was a very long and lengthy but collaborative and very compromise-driven session when everybody was at the table,” Eklund said. 

She also acknowledged Kalispell’s high cost of living. 

“It’s very challenging to live here and I really want to acknowledge that the KEA did not get what they asked for. The certified or classified staff did not get what they asked for in terms of cost of living raises, so yes, you see that we’re in a deficit, but this was the best we could do,” Eklund said, later adding, “But we want to show that we value the teachers — the heart of our school — that we need them here, right, and we need to support them and their ability to live here ...”   

Trustees also approved a contract with the Federation of Classified Personnel that includes an hourly pay increase for classified staff, including paraprofessionals, food service workers and office staff. 

Kalispell Public Schools is projecting a roughly $700,000 deficit in the elementary district budget next school year and a $360,000 surplus in the high school district budget. The district has already addressed the shortfall in several ways, including plans to dip into its reserves. 

The district also plans to push for change to state funding for public schools at the legislative level, with board Chair Jinnifer Mariman announcing the formation of an ad hoc committee focused on legislative priorities. 

In the second year of the current contract, which expires June 30, teachers received a 10% increase to the base and a 2.11% increase at the top of the salary schedule for the 2025-26 school year. That earlier round of negotiations was aimed at bringing Kalispell’s starting pay closer to other Class AA districts and area Class A districts such as Whitefish and Columbia Falls. 

Reporter Hilary Matheson can be reached at 406-758-4431 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.