GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) - The Grand Rapids Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to approve a two-year contract with the Grand Rapids Education Association (GREA) that will provide significant salary increases for educators.
The contract includes an increase in starting wages and adds annual raises - replacing the previous model in which GREA members received raises every three years. Raises for individual employees range from $2,000 to more than $10,000 based on years of service and education level. Employees will receive their wage increase retroactively to the beginning of the 2025-26 school year.
GRPS estimates the two-year contract represents an additional $10.4 million investment in educators, an increase of 11.8%.
“This is a milestone day as we demonstrate how vital it is to invest in our educators,” said Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby. “By strengthening compensation and support, we are honoring the work our educators do every day and reinforcing our commitment to retaining and attracting exceptional staff for our scholars.”
The agreement was ratified by GREA members last week.
The new contract includes additional benefits for GREA members:
- Increased elementary planning time and monetary stipends: Elementary teachers may receive a monetary stipend for planning time that they perform outside of the contractual workday. That amount was substantially increased for both 2025-26 and 2026-27. For 2026-27, the district was also able to increase elementary teacher planning time scheduled during the contractual workday.
- Teacher evaluation: The parties negotiated a process and procedure for conducting teacher evaluations, including observations, use of student growth and assessment data, and addressing performance deficiencies.
- Teacher discipline: The parties negotiated a process for investigating allegations of staff misconduct and implementing discipline, when appropriate.
- Increased insurance contributions: The district will continue to pay the insurance cap rates published by the Department of Treasury. If the law is amended or repealed, the parties will bargain over the impact of that change.
- Increases to retirement payout: Teachers receive a payout for unused sick days if they provide notice of their retirement before spring break. The per diem amount teachers receive to calculate the payout was increased to incentivize teacher attendance.
- Increases to class overload payments: Teachers receive a per student/per day payment if a teacher is assigned to teach a class that is over the class size maximum. The amount paid per student/per day was increased.
- Improvements to paid bereavement leave: The district will provide two days of paid bereavement leave for immediate family in addition to sick and personal days received under the contract.
- Reduction in contractual parent-teacher conference time: The number of contractual hours for parent teacher conferences was reduced, however, all scholars’ parent/guardian must have an opportunity to a conference with the teacher in the fall and spring.
If you are interested in joining GRPS, you can apply for current openings at grps.org/careers.
