St. Louis Public School teachers will receive a 17% raise — the biggest three-year pay increase they’ve seen in nearly 20 years.
The union representing the educators, American Federation of Teachers Local 420, ratified the deal Monday evening with 78% buy-in from members. The adjusted Collective Bargaining Agreement was then approved Tuesday by the Board of Education and the city.
And to make it official, Local 420 President Ray Cummings, joined by St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Keisha Scarlett and Board of Education President Antoinette “Toni” Cousins, signed the new deal Wednesday at school district headquarters.
Scarlett said the possibilities are endless.
“I don’t know how much compensation really that’s necessary for all the miracles that our educators and school teams do every single day for our children and our families, but this is a step in the right direction,” Scarlett said.
Teachers can expect to see more money in their paychecks beginning July 1, which marks the beginning of the new fiscal year for the school district.
The historic move comes as teacher shortages across the nation have increased substantially since the onset of the pandemic — though raising teacher salaries has been discussed since long before that. A recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics revealed that 86% of public schools were still struggling to hire educators entering the 2023-24 school year.
“This agreement demonstrates a real, good-faith effort to recruit and retain our dedicated workforce,” Cummings said. “We are better together in the often very challenging but rewarding work of putting children and families of the city of St. Louis at the center of our endeavors.”
The district’s chief financial officer, Angie Banks, said the pay increases will cost the district about $10 million in additional expense the first year. The second and third years will each cost about another $7 million, she said. The money will primarily come from the general operating budget, which is made up of property and sales taxes.
The new starting salary for teachers beginning with the next school year will be just shy of $50,000, district spokesman George Sells said. That will put SLPS well above the state's average teacher starting salary of $34,052, which ranks 50th in the country, according to a 2023 National Education Association Report.
What else is included?
Special education teachers will see the largest jump in pay, with a 22% bump over the three-year deal.
School officials say the agreement not only ensures stability in the classroom, but also provides incentive for retaining current teachers and staff, as well as attracting new applicants.
Jami Edwards, a second grade teacher at Patrick Henry Elementary, said she plans to travel and pay some school fees with the raise. She’s currently a graduate student at St. Louis University working toward a doctorate in education. She’s been at Patrick Henry for four years but has been teaching for 10 years in Missouri, she said.
“There’s such a high teacher burnout right now, there’s so much stress, so the way I am able to alleviate that is to travel with my husband,” Edwards said. “It’s hard to justify being a teacher when we have lots of degrees and lots of letters behind our name, yet we’re getting such low salaries. I could go be a remote worker elsewhere and double my salary, but we're here for the kids. We’re here to make sure they are getting every opportunity they can because they deserve it.”
Edwards lauded Scarlett for taking the concerns seriously.
“Dr. Scarlett hasn’t been superintendent very long, but she is really listening and taking the initiative to make changes based on what she’s learning from the staff, teachers and the parents,” Edwards said. “I’m grateful, and I’m happy this has happened.”
The pay increase for teachers will begin with a 7% jump in fiscal 2025 and will increase another 5% each of the following two years, district leaders said. All other employees will also see significant increases, with everyone receiving at least a 10% increase over the term.
For the first time, the contract includes trade workers represented by the union.
In addition to this, employees who previously lost wages during inclement weather will be compensated. The agreement is that they'll receive full payment for two inclement weather days each year of the term.
Cousins said she and other district leaders have received several calls from teachers and other staff thanking them for the deal. She said employees feel respected, valued and seen.
“I really got a text message today saying that one of the preschool teachers is now looking to apply at St. Louis Public Schools because of this increase,” Cousins said. “So I think this is really going to change the mindset and letting people see that we really do genuinely understand the impact and how important finances are when trying to start a family.
“Education is the heart of any community. This is where it starts.”
School district leaders said they plan to host family forums this spring to hear feedback about how the school district can be more financially efficient and maximize potential for helping students.
