Saline Teachers have a New Contract

With the new school year quickly approaching, the Saline Education Association and Saline Area Schools Board of Education finally reached a new contract after months of negotiation.

At the special meeting on Aug. 19, the Saline school board approved the 2025-27 Saline Education Association – Saline Board of Education Collective Bargaining Agreement. The approval was a unanimous vote of the board. The Saline Education Association notified the district that its membership passed their vote on August 18.

Dr. Rachel Kowalski, Saline Superintendent, said, “We are thankful to have settled a contract with the Saline Education Association. We are so excited to launch the 2025-26 school year and are focused on welcoming staff, students, and families back to our buildings. The finalized contract will be posted on the Saline Area Schools website on our transparency page in the near future.”

The agreement comes after the two sides could not reach an agreement earlier this year and moved into working with a mediator this past spring from the Michigan Employment Relations Commission.

School board president Michael McVey said, “The Board is delighted to have reached this agreement and we are all looking forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday. We are deeply appreciative of the time and energy the negotiating teams spent in professional discussions on the wide range of topics before them.”  

To learn more the Sun Times News connected with Saline teacher Bridget Corie of SEA.

There will be a salary increase – a 5 percent increase for the 2025-26 school year and a 4 percent increase for the 2026-2027 school year. Corie said certified staff was very relieved to have a contract prior to kicking off a new school year. The contract also has some additional changes around sick and personal business days, certified staff protections, certified staff leaders, and class sizes at the elementary level.

“We feel this new contract addresses several needs of certified staff and provides an important foundation at a time when the landscape of education continues to shift,” Corie said. “From increasing student needs to evolving expectations on educators, these agreements help ensure that staff are supported, valued, and able to focus on what matters most – our students.”