“I’m excited to move forward”: Board of Education and Education Association Ratify a Negotiated Contract for 2026-2030
A little over a month after news broke that Mahomet-Seymour teachers and staff were working without a contract in place for the 2026-2027 academic year, a negotiated contract has been ratified by the Mahomet-Seymour Board of Education and Mahomet-Seymour Education Association.
Summarized details of the new contracts can be found at the bottom of this article.
After the final bargaining session on September 24, MSEA spokesperson Cam Zindars wrote, “We believe this contract truly prioritizes our students, teachers and staff,” adding his gratitude to the community for their support. “Thank you for standing with us and valuing the work we do for our students, schools and community.”
While the MSEA had voted to approve a strike if deemed necessary by the bargaining team, a strike did not come to pass. The MSEA and Board of Education went through several rounds of negotiations before reaching resolution in the final week of September.
Dr. Kenny Lee, CUSD #3 Superintendent, shared that “the collective bargaining process, by nature, can be an adversarial one,” but described negotiations as “respectful and amicable.” He said he was excited to “put the process behind us...we look forward to a continued partnership that puts our schools, staff, community, and relationships at the forefront.”
Community involvement was a notable component of contract negotiations, as the bargaining process was shared with the public through continuous updates. While online discourse can be fraught, many teachers appreciated the vocal support of residents as the stressful process drew on.
M-S High School English teacher Katie Dye said that “when morale was low, the community support was invaluable.”
“Seeing how many people turned out from the community to stand with us was such a turning point for me in the level of stress and uncertainty. It was amazing to have such positive support and affirmation from the community. Everyone who smiled, waved, honked their horn, carried a sign, or supported us in any way made a huge difference,” Dye said. “The way the community showed up for each other during this time just proves why our district is exemplary. I’m excited to move forward with the rest of this school year, knowing that together with the community we will continue to show up for our kids and make this an amazing place to learn and grow.”
School Board President Jordan Rock likewise emphasized the impact of community sentiment. “This process demonstrated how deeply our community cares about its schools,” he said. “While there were certainly differing viewpoints, the discussions challenged all parties to listen and remain focused on what matters most: providing the best educational experience possible for our students. As we move forward, I know we can continue working together for the benefit of our schools and our community.”
The bargaining process draws to a close as Election Day approaches, when Mahomet residents will vote on a referendum regarding potential construction of a new junior high. The Board of Education and MSEA are united on this issue, according to Zindars. “We will be supporting the district in their efforts to pass a referendum for our junior high,” he said in the statement that announced the tentative agreement.
Takeaways from the Negotiated Contract
Information was sourced from the Board of Education Special Meeting Packet from October 5, 2026, which can be found here. Page numbers refer to the linked PDF pages.
Increases in teacher salaries* and other wages (pages 42-49)
Teachers will receive salary increases at the rates of 5% in year one, 5% in year two, 4.25% in year three, 4.25% in year four
Paraprofessionals will receive salary increases at the rates of 5.5% in year one, 5.25% in year two, 4.25% in year three, 4.25% in year four
A 5% salary increase is allocated for employees whose positions are not governed by the collective bargaining agreement
Planning time (pages 19-20)
200 minutes of planning time per week (up from 180) with no less than 40 consecutive minutes per day at the Elementary Schools. This change will take effect 2027-2028 school year
Fringe benefits (Pages 31-32)
Increased monthly health insurance coverage contribution ($1,030/$1,060/$1,090/$1,120) with the first increase effective January 1, 2027
$1,000 HSA contribution
Other leave benefits
Bereavement leave expanded (pages 23-24)
Purchase of one additional day of personal leave allowed after other days exhausted (page 24)
Length of school day (page 19)
The length of the school day will change for some schools beginning in the 2027-2028 school year, with MPE and LTE increasing to 6 hours 50 minutes. (MSJH and MSHS will remain 6 hours 52 minutes.)
The staff workday will be capped at 40 minutes more than the student attendance time
Additional language was included regarding summer school, extra duty pay, subcontracting, shift pay, and other personnel items.
Notes
*Teachers and paraprofessionals receive step increases each year outside of bargained salary increases. The numbers above are inclusive of the step increase. With the step increases broken out, the base salaries will increase at the following rates.
Teachers: 4.5% in year one, 4.5% in year two, 3.75% in year three, 3.75% in year four
Paraprofessionals: 5% in year one, 4.75% in year two, 3.75% in year three, 3.75% in year four
