Labor Relations

Salem-Keizer Public Schools met with the Salem Keizer Education Association on March 14, 2025, for their second successor bargaining session.

Successor Bargaining

Successor bargaining is the official process that a school district and union follow to share and discuss contractual priorities as they work toward an updated contract. The current collective bargaining agreement for licensed employees runs through the end of June 2025.

The parties exchanged initial proposals on February 27, 2025.

During this most recent meeting, both parties discussed and exchanged counterproposals on articles 8 and 11.  The counterproposals will be posted  below on Monday, March 17.

You can also review bargaining information from SKEA on its website.

The Next Meeting is March 20, 2025

At the next meeting on March 20, 2025, the parties will discuss specific articles and exchange counterproposals.

Parties will exchange counterproposals and hold discussion on articles 1, 8, 10, 11 and 14.

The discussion and exchange of proposals will be repeated in subsequent meetings to facilitate the parties reaching an agreement for the entire contract.

Salem-Keizer Public Schools opened the successor bargaining process with the Salem Keizer Education Association on February 27, 2025, as the two parties met to exchange initial proposals.

Successor bargaining is the official process that a school district and union follow to share and discuss contractual priorities as they work toward an updated contract. The current collective bargaining agreement for licensed employees runs through the end of June 2025.

The initial proposals detail proposed contract changes from each party. Our district exchanged initial proposals on articles 4, 7, 10, and 11 and included a placeholder proposal on special education supports and general document improvements. SKEA exchanged initial proposals on articles 1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, and 21. The proposals are posted here below for review.

Proposals (PDFs)

• Salem-Keizer Public Schools – Initial Proposals
• Salem Keizer Education Association – Initial Proposals

High-Level Summary of District Proposals

The summaries below are provided by Salem-Keizer Public Schools. You can also review bargaining information from SKEA on its website.

Article 4 - Rates of Pay

Our district supports fair wages and benefits for our licensed professionals and proposed a 3% COLA. A 3% COLA outpaces the current rate of inflation, provides a comparable salary to other similar districts, and, while challenging, maintains a fiscally responsible budget.

Article 7 - Employee Benefits

Ensuring accessible, affordable healthcare is a priority for employees and our district. We proposed a $1,550 monthly insurance contribution for 2025-26 and 2026-27. The current contribution for full-time licensed staff is $1,500 per month.

Effective SPED Support (Placeholder)

We proposed this placeholder, awaiting recommendations from our special education consultant, who is preparing a report on our special education programs and resources. Students with special needs and the talented, hard-working staff who serve them must have the tools necessary to ensure effective learning and working environments. This is especially challenging in Special Education classrooms. Our district is currently studying these spaces and will be considering a set of recommendations in the near future.

Article 10 - Working Conditions

• We proposed increasing the number of 30-minute music classes qualifying as full-time for an elementary music specialist from 40 to 44. This increases the amount of time that can be devoted to music education by licensed music educators.
• We also proposed adding an hour per week for advisory/homeroom time for a total of two hours per week. It is critical to provide adequate advisory time in middle schools to help students plan and prepare for social-emotional learning, college and career readiness, and other important matters. Increasing advisory time fulfills an important district responsibility and student need.

Article 11 - Work Dates and Holidays

We proposed increasing the number of in-service days, beginning in the 2026-27 school year, from eight to ten. We value time for professional learning for our licensed professionals. This will be even more crucial as our district introduces new curricula in the future. Additional in-service time can be devoted to learning current best teaching practices, as well as planning for the implementation of new curricula, and is necessary for providing excellent service to our students. It is a balancing act, though, as the proposal also decreases the number of classroom days by two during that same school year.

Document Housekeeping

We proposed a list addressing grammar, punctuation, unclear language, poor formatting, and other non-substantive updates.

The Next Meeting: March 14, 2025

At the next meeting on March 14, 2025, the parties will discuss specific articles.

SKPS will bring counterproposals on Articles 8 and 11. SKEA will bring counter proposals on Article 11 and document housekeeping.

The discussion and exchange of proposals will be repeated in subsequent meetings to facilitate the parties reaching an agreement for the entire contract.