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The Pipestone Area School (PAS) Board during its Nov. 24 meeting approved a new two-year agreement with the Pipestone Area Education Association, the union representing PAS teachers. The contracts are effective retroactively from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027.
According to the agreement, teachers received a raise of $1,000 plus 2.5 percent and the base pay is $49,000 for fiscal year 2025 to 2026. They will also receive raises of $1,000 plus 2.5 percent for fiscal year 2026 to 2027 and the base pay will be $51,000.
“I’m really excited to see our base getting pushed above $50,000 in the second year,” said Superintendent Klint Willert. “I think that’s going to help with our recruitment efforts and retention efforts with everything that we’ve done in the contract. I know it’s not without some commitment and, obviously, we’re going to take a hard look at what this means residually within our budget practices, but I think for us to remain relevant and current in the market place, these were the right steps to take.”
He said he appreciated the work of the school board’s negotiators and the teachers to reach the agreement. The school board’s negotiations/personnel committee includes school board members Brad Carson, Mark Hiniker and Tyler Fruechte.
School board member Tami Taubert asked how the arrival and leave time stipulations in the agreement would be enforced and expressed concern about students’ ability to meet with teachers for help before or after school. According to the agreement, the building hours for teachers are 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., unless impacted by an emergency or weather-related event. Teachers may flex their start time and end time by up to 30 minutes as long as the total contracted hours are fulfilled and student services or assigned duties are not disrupted, according to the agreement. Flexible hours must be agreed upon by the teacher and the building administrator, and Carson and Willert said it must be pre-approved.
Taubert also asked about paperwork days for special education teachers. According to the agreement, special education teachers are provided four paperwork days per semester during the school year. Requests for use of a paperwork day must be submitted to the building principal at least five days in advance for pre-approval and to allow for appropriate classroom coverage. Taubert asked if the teachers have to find substitute teachers for those days. Administrators said they do.