Salina Public Schools, NEA-Salina Reach Tentative Agreements, Compensation Issues Still Unresolved
Salina Public Schools and NEA-Salina have reached several tentative agreements in their 2026-2027 contract negotiations, but salary, health insurance contributions and blackout day language remain unresolved heading into the next round of talks.
According to a May 13 media release from Salina Public Schools, the Board of Education and NEA-Salina met for their third round of negotiations and reached tentative agreements on several contract items.
Those tentative agreements include:
Amendments to the longevity schedule allowing all years of service to Salina Public Schools to count toward longevity payments, regardless of position type;
Language changes regarding the type of paid leave used when an employee is off work for medical reasons stemming from an injury received at work;
Updates to the dress code policy;
The addition of supplemental contract and special salary provisions;
Language clarifications regarding home district assignment;
The addition of language clarifying teacher communication responsibilities outside the duty day.
The update marks movement on several items that had been part of earlier negotiation rounds.
In the first round of talks, held April 14, the parties agreed to ground rules and exchanged initial proposals. NEA-Salina’s early proposals included clarifying blackout day policy, standardizing duty-free lunch, updating classroom-safety language tied to work-related injury leave, adding staff feedback to administrator appraisals, updating dress code language, adding two PTO days, and creating language around staff communication outside the duty day.
The district’s earlier proposals included language allowing home-district assignment any time after hire, clarifying blackout day application for staff working in non-Salina districts, adding elementary music to special salary provisions, and adding a supplemental contract for elementary marathon coordinators.
The second round, held April 20, moved compensation closer to the center of the discussion. NEA-Salina proposed adding $2,000 to the base salary while also paying step and movement. The group also proposed increasing the district’s employer-paid health insurance contribution from $580 per month to 85% of the premium by tier. Another NEA-Salina proposal sought retiree contribution language for retirees with 20 or more years of service who remain on the district plan until Medicare eligibility.
As of the May 13 update, the board’s current salary counteroffer remains on the table. That offer would add $1,000 to the base salary on the Certified Salary Schedule, while also paying step and movement.
The board has also countered on health insurance, proposing to increase employer-paid contributions from $580 per month per benefits-eligible employee to $600 per month.
Changes to blackout day policy language also remain unresolved. According to the district, that language is still being discussed for clarity of use and for how it applies to CKCIE employees working in non-Salina districts.
The parties are scheduled to meet again for a fourth round of negotiations at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, in the multipurpose room at the Hageman Education Center, 409 W. Cloud.
For now, the negotiations have produced movement on several work-rule and contract-language items, while the larger financial questions remain open. As usual, the money part is where the room gets quieter and the calculators start earning their keep.