DAYTON — Teachers within the Dayton Public School System have been working without an updated contact for this entire school year — but that has changed.
Tuesday night, board members voted anomalously to pass a new contract.
An over 1,000-page contract has been in negotiation since the Spring.
Now, several months into the school year, teachers with DPS can go to work knowing they are protected.
The previous contract expired over the summer.
>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Dayton Public Schools expected to vote on new teacher agreement tonight
Something similar happened in the largest school district in the state, Columbus, but there —teachers walked out.
In Dayton, the union had the plan to strike if needed.
“We were preparing with our crisis committee,” Neil Mahoney, president of Dayton Education Association said.
Both sides, the administration, and the union stayed at the table — so teachers stayed at work while negotiations were being made.
That was until Tuesday night when a decision came down.
>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Dayton Public Schools, teacher’s union reach tentative agreement
“It was a long process. It was a battle. It was a fight,” Mahoney said.
With the new contract, Mahoney said teachers can look forward to:
- A three percent salary raise
- Teacher evualtioans
- Planning periods
- A hero bonus for those who stayed and worked through the pandemic
“We appreciate our teachers and all our staff that work with us here at DPS,” Mahoney said.
He said the contract will also benefit students.
“When you have someone who is felt that they are valued. That is shown in the other roles that a teacher plays,” Mahoney said.
The contract does expire in three years, but the plan is to start looking and talking over what needs updating a year earlier to lower the risk of any delays being made on contracts in 2026.
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