Valparaiso Community Schools teachers are set to get a pay raise. The proposed teacher contract for the 2022-2023 school year raises the starting salary for new teachers to $51,000, a $4,000 increase. Returning teachers would get a $4,500 raise, plus a one-percent, referendum-funded retention stipend at the end of this semester and another $500 stipend next June.
Superintendent Dr. Jim McCall says the contract would give Valparaiso Community Schools one of the highest starting salaries in the Region. "With a settlement here of $51,000, we are certainly in the top five or six in all of Northwest Indiana, in the Region. Fifty-one thousand is a very strong starting salary, even statewide," McCall told the school board during a public hearing on the proposed contract Monday.
Valparaiso Community Schools no longer has a set schedule for raises based on longevity, but board member Dr. Rob Behrend said the recent referendum helps ensure they'll get the annual retention stipend. "I really want to thank the taxpayers of Center Township because that's a huge thing for our kids, that we keep our teachers happy and keep them employed here at Valparaiso. We have some very, very good educators here and great leadership team," Behrend said.
The new contract would also change some extracurricular positions, including the restructuring of the high school swimming and wrestling programs.
The contract was unanimously approved by the Valparaiso Teachers Association last week. It goes to the school board for ratification on Thursday.