BRAINERD — After working the entirety of the last school year without a contract, Brainerd teachers and food service workers now have one.
The School Board ratified new contracts with the unions on Monday, Sept. 21. The contract covers the period of July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2027.
“Nobody’s getting rich off these contracts,” Superintendent Chip Rankin said at Monday’s board meeting, after thanking everyone involved in the process for their work.
“Everybody understands that financially things are a little challenging, and this is well below the average settlement across the state,” he said, noting this is where the district is based on enrollment, which is why he has his Project True North plan to stabilize the budget.
Board members also approved a 2026-28 contract with its interpreters union on Monday. The union representing educational assistants and nurses is still without a contract after their last one expired June 30, 2025. Rankin said Monday he believes contracts with all unions will be settled before Christmas.
Board member John Ward said he wanted to echo Rankin’s comments, thanking all staff for their work, which he said is huge and important. He also noted the board wants to see retention, which is accomplished through fair wages.
“We’re trying to work at it,” he added. “We have to deal with a state that hasn’t kept up with inflation for 20 years for education funding. We have to deal with a federal government that has never lived up to a 1972 promise of 40% reimbursement for our special ed kids.”
The teachers’ contract includes a 4% increase in wages for the 2025-26 school year and another 2% increase for the 2026-27 year. Wage increases for the past school year will be paid out retroactively.
Teachers are placed at wage grid steps and lanes in accordance with years of experience, their type of degree and additional educational credits. A new teacher coming in at step 0 of the wage grid with a bachelor’s degree will earn an annual salary of $48,353 for the 2026-27 year, while a teacher on step 0 with a master’s degree will earn $54,537. Teachers can increase their salaries with additional graduate-level credits. They will qualify for a salary step advancement upon completion of 91 days or more of service.
Another highlight of the contract is higher health insurance contributions from the district. The district health insurance premium contribution for single coverage plans is up to $975 a month, and for those on family plans, the premium contribution is up to $1,970. Contributions in the previous contract were $876 a month for single coverage and $1,846 a month for family coverage.
The union and district originally announced a tentative contract agreement in June, but union members were not able to vote on the contract during the summer months, according to their bylaws.
Base wages for food service workers increased about 1% for the 2025-26 school year, with pay broken down into two categories for certified and non-certified workers, depending on training background in the ServSafe program and with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Hourly base wages for non-certified staff in 2025-26 are $13.66-$16.41, depending on the step of the wage grid. Hourly wages for certified staff in 2025-26 are $14.42-$18.54, depending on the step of the wage grid.
The contract lists wages for only certified food service workers for the 2026-27 school year, and those wages increase by $2 an hour for each step of the grid.
Food service employees are required to take 12 credit hours of ServSafe classes by the end of their first year of employment, and the district will pay for all required courses and training time while non-certified. The district will also pay for the time spent for renewal hours and yearly professional standards training for all employees.For new staff members, USDA professional standards training will occur in the kitchen, through required training modules and if needed in the food service office.
After July 1, 2026, food service workers get hourly longevity bonuses after they have been with the district for at least five years. Those bonuses are:
$0.50 an hour after five years.$0.75 an hour after 10 years.$0.85 an hour after 15 years.$1.15 an hour after 20 years.$1.50 an hour after 25 years.$1.75 an hour after 30 years.
Cook manager positions will receive another $1.50 per hour to account for additional responsibilities.
