Teachers approve new contract with raises
Samantha King signs the negotiated agreement between the Mid-Del School Board and Mid-Del Education Association on Aug. 11. Photo by Jeff Harrison
By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon
The Mid-Del Board of Education and the Mid-Del Education Association have finalized a new negotiated agreement for the 2025–26 school year, delivering salary increases, expanded stipends, and more classroom time for educators.
Certified staff voted overwhelmingly to approve the agreement, with 517 voting in favor and just 12 opposed — a 97.7% approval rate. All certified staff in the district were eligible to vote; about 850 employees qualified, though not all participated.
Raises for All Certified Staff
Under the new agreement, each step on the certified salary schedule will see a $600 increase, in addition to the standard annual “step” raise for years of experience.
Pam Huston, Assistant Superintendent and Chief Human Resources Officer for Mid-Del Schools, called the step increase one of the most notable changes this year.
“I think being able to add $600 to each step is significant,” Huston said. “While I realize it is not a lot, it is more than we thought we would be able to do with the funding issues.”
Mid-Del Technology Center instructors will also benefit from a one-time $1,500 retention stipend in December if they remain employed through Nov. 1. Huston noted this stipend is a new Memorandum of Understanding for 2025–26 and applies to employees who worked last year, returned this year, and stay through the deadline.
Supplemental Pay Changes
The supplemental salary schedule saw several adjustments:
• Football coordinators’ stipends rise from $5,000 to $7,500. The raise applies to offensive, defensive, and special teams/weights coordinators at each high school — a total of three positions per school.
• ROTC stipends increase from $1,103 to $1,300.
• New stipends for Business Professionals of America sponsors — $1,290 for high school head sponsors and $938 for assistant sponsors at both high schools and middle schools.
• The Botball stipend was renamed “Robotics/Botball” to reflect program expansion.
Several MOUs were signed alongside the agreement, giving the district flexibility on items that might be impacted by future funding or scheduling changes. In addition to the MDTC retention stipend, MOUs cover:
• A half-day release from professional development for classroom work.
• Consideration of non-certified outside experience for MDTC salary placement.
• MDTC reimbursement for Career Tech teachers attending the State Career Tech Conference.
Additional Language Changes
The contract clarifies teacher workdays, specifying that only two non-district-required events outside the regular workday can be mandated per semester. Parent-teacher conferences and “Meet the Teacher” nights are now considered district-required events and do not count toward that limit.
The agreement also refines the Special Education Certification Incentive, which offers $1,000 to certified teachers who successfully complete a special education-related certification test and accept a special education position with Mid-Del.
MDEA President Kelly Craig said the agreement reflects educators’ priorities.
“Money on the base, teacher respect, and less on their plate for more time doing what they love to do — teach — is the priority,” Craig said. “We took the priorities to heart and were able to get some time back and some money in the bank. Give time to the teachers and watch the magic happen in their classroom.”
Negotiations for the K–12 portion of the district were led on the district side by Huston, Jacqueline Woodard, LaShonda Broiles, Andra Gilkey, and Leslie Pope, with Tressa Wilson also serving on the team. MDTC negotiations included Huston, Becki Foster, Broiles, and Woodard.
The MDEA negotiations team included Sam King, treasurer; Kaylyn Mashlan, high school representative; Jason Jenkins, middle school representative; and Joy Parker, elementary representative.
In a related item, the school board approved salary adjustments for employees not represented by the unions. It includes $600 step increases for several positions, and 30 cent hourly pay increases for others. At the MDTC, several employees will be eligible for the $1,500 retention stiped, and others will also see a 15-cent hourly increase.
The school board unanimously approved the agreement at their Aug. 11 meeting.
Mid-Del Schools approved an agreement with the Mid-Del Support Employees Association in June.
