Madison Reporter

The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) Board of Education voted unanimously to approve an agreement between the District and Madison Teachers Inc. (MTI) to increase staff wages for the 2024–25 contract year.

According to the agreement, staff will receive a guaranteed 2.06% increase in base wages, with an additional 2.06% increase contingent on the successful passage of the operations referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot, both retroactive to July 1, 2024. The potential cumulative increase of 4.12% is the maximum allowable by Wisconsin law.

“Attracting and retaining staff engaged in the important work of public education starts with fair compensation, and it is my hope that tonight’s vote clearly demonstrates to all MMSD professionals that we value them, we hear them and we want them to remain with us as we move ahead,” said Board President Nichelle Nichols.

Employee wages are the District’s most significant operating expense. Reflective of this agreement, in October, MMSD will ask the Board to approve two budgets for the 2024–25 year: one accounting for the passage of the operations referendum and one that does not.

In addition to paying staff, the referendum will allow the District to continue funding its equity projects, such as community schools, reduced K–1 class sizes, and expanded mental health services.

The approved wage increase follows months of negotiations between the District and MTI and aims to offset inflationary pressures and cost-of-living increases in areas like housing and healthcare that have trended upward in recent years.

Notably, state funding for public education has not kept pace with inflation, resulting in a $20.8 million revenue gap for MMSD for the 2023–24 school year alone.

“For years, people in this state who have dedicated their careers to improving student outcomes have been asked to do more with less,” said Nichols. “This is traceable directly to a lack of support from state legislators and is the reason we see so many districts just like ours turning to taxpayers to fund vital programming and necessary facilities improvements. I am so grateful that Madison is a city whose residents understand the importance of public education and prioritize the health of its schools, and I look forward to the day when our policymakers do the same.”