MONROE — Educators in Monroe will see a 2.95% jump in their pay for the 2025 school year, along with any merit increases, a move school board president Jim Curran said was austere to balance two critical “imperatives.”

After reconvening from a June 23 lengthy closed-session at 10:20 p.m., the board unanimously approved a motion to approve the slight raises covering virtually all categories of employees as part of the approval of exempt contracts and compensation. 

“We need to be competitive and we need to take care of our own,” said Curran.

After doing a part of them earlier this month, the district has now inked deals with all four employee groups for the 2025-26 school year, according to a statement, breaking down the contract terms for each category of employee.

For the most part, except for merit increases, everyone is looking at that increase of just under 2.95 % — the maximum number they can raise by state law, officials said.

Each of the agreements was reached through a process of “open dialogue, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to the mission of the district,” the district statement said, adding that “the outcome is a set of compensation packages that demonstrate the value placed on every employee groups.”

Here are the employee groups:

Monroe Association of Support Staff (MASS)

The district reached an agreement with MASS for a 2.95% increase with step progression.

“Our support staff are the backbone of our operations,” said Monroe. “From our custodians and food service teams to paraprofessionals and office personnel, their work keeps our schools running and our students supported every single day.”

Monroe Education Association (MEA)

The MEA, which represents the district’s teachers and professional staff, also reached an agreement that includes a 2.95% increase, with continued recognition of steps and lanes. “Our educators are the heart of our schools,” said Monroe. “Their care, creativity, and expertise are what drive student growth. This agreement helps us retain high-quality teachers while showing them the respect they deserve.”

Exempt Staff Group

Exempt employees, including confidential and management personnel, also will see a 2.95% base increase. In alignment with a prior, board-commissioned compensation study, several positions also received targeted adjustments to bring salaries in line with regional market standards. The total package increase for the group is 4.01%. 

Administrative Team

The Administrative Team proposed — and the Board of Education ultimately approved — a plan that resulted in a “net neutral change year-over-year,” in administration pay, further lessening budget impact.

That was achieved, officials said by negotiating salaries for administrative staff moving into new positions that were ultimately lower than what was being paid in the previous year. Thus, administrators returning to the same position would receive the 2.95% base increase, while also ensuring no additional dollars were allocated to pay for it.

“There are a couple of pieces that are important to call out,” said Curran. “First, in today’s climate a 0% group increase is rare...”

Curran noted that for his part veteran administrator Monroe, “took on two jobs for the past 5 months and asked the board not to increase his compensation during the 2024-25 school year.”

Moreover, officials said, “Joe has also accepted compensation as interim superintendent for 2025-26 at a considerable cost savings relative to last year. Because we budgeted for an overall increase in administration cost, this net neutral change allows us to reallocate those dollars to other critical areas in the district.”

Monroe added that overall, the raises may seem slight in the face of the shocking consumer price index jumping into the 8% range amid the COVID pandemic and supply chain shock a few years ago.

Yet Monroe said there are other factors at play besides inflation, including the absence of strong education unions, which in the past could improve contract negotiations.

“When the CPI was as high as 8%, our unions were very good,” in refraining from putting the district in a bind by asking for a similar amount, said Monroe.