The Bradley Elementary District 61 School Board approved a teachers contract Thursday with salary increases totaling 14% over three years.
The collective bargaining agreement includes raises of 5% the first year, 4.5% the second year and 4.5% the third year.
The agreement extends from fiscal 2027 through fiscal 2029.
The Bradley Elementary Education Association has 123 members, including teachers and other certified staff.
Superintendent Chris Hammond said the negotiation process went smoothly.
“Both sides made it seem very seamless,” he said. “[There was] a lot of communication.”
Most of the changes to the contract were minor language adjustments, he said.
BBEA President Sarah Hasik agreed that the negotiation process went well.
“It’s more like a good time,” she said.
The district’s provided insurance coverage will be $13,000 for the first year of the contract, $13,500 for the second year and $14,000 for the third year.
In September 2025, the board passed an amendment to the previous contract increasing coverage from $11,000 up to $13,000 annually.
The change was in response to an insurance issue, with employees experiencing sharply increased rates this school year.
The first year of the new contract matches the insurance amendment from September, with increases scheduled for the second and third years.
The collective bargaining process begins with the union gathering information from its members in September.
From October to March, union leadership meets with the superintendent to review language items, and negotiations take place from there.
“It’s a non-adversarial environment,” added board President Terrie Golwitzer. “We’re a team.”
Other action, update
Also on Thursday, the board approved a contract for the replacement of the fire alarm system at Bradley East.
Ruder Electric, of Kankakee, was the low bidder of three companies and received the contract for $176,406.
The bid came in below the anticipated cost of around $250,000.
The district will be using a $50,000 maintenance grant to help pay for the project.
Hammond also gave an update on the district’s strategic planning goals, which have been in progress for the past few months.
“We are still in the infant stages,” he said.
The strategic goals currently in development are related to the district’s educational philosophy, community engagement and having up-to-date facilities.
These overarching goals will include sub-goals and focus areas, and they’ll continue to be topics of discussion in the months to come.
“We’ll really kind of be hitting the ground running coming into fall,” Hammond said.