LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County Public Schools teachers would receive their largest pay raise in over 20 years under a new contract agreement reached between JCPS leaders and the teachers’ union.

Members of the Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA) overwhelmingly approved the terms of the contract proposal in voting last week, district officials confirmed in a news release.

The three-year agreement, if given final approval by the Jefferson County Board of Education, would take effect July 1, 2023.

“We know how challenging the teaching profession has been the past few years and will continue to be with the increasing shortage of educators,” said Dr. Marty Pollio, superintendent of JCPS. “We believe this agreement is proof that JCPS wants our teaching professionals to not only be the best compensated in Kentucky, but also feel the most valued.”

The contract extension would give all teachers a 5% salary increase in the 2023-24 school year, with additional raises to be negotiated the following two years. As part of JCPS’ new School Choice Plan, those who teach at schools in the new Choice Zone and Accelerated Improvement Schools will also receive an $8,000 stipend. 

“JCTA is proud of this agreement because we know the five percent raise will help attract teachers to fill many vacancies across the district with great teachers that our students deserve,” said Brent McKim, president of JCTA. “Most teachers receive an annual ‘step increase’ so they will see their pay rise by a total of about 7.5% next year.”

In addition to the salary increase, other provisions in the contract extension are designed to give teachers more flexibility and help JCPS recruit and retain teachers:

• Allows sick days to be used in half day increments instead of full days
• Allows lost planning time to be made up outside the normal workday 
• Sets up a new Teaching, Learning and Assessment Collaborative group with 50% of the members appointed by JCTA and 50% by JCPS  
• Creates new Collaborative Leadership Teams at each school to discuss issues, challenges and opportunities raised by the school’s staff

The contract extension also includes new provisions against hate speech which could result in immediate termination.

“We appreciate the collaborative negotiation process with our JCTA partners,” Pollio said. “All of us are working together toward the same goal - providing great teaching to our students and a great working environment for our staff.”

The Jefferson County Board of Education is expected to vote on the new contract at its meeting on Nov. 29. If approved by the board, the average salary for a JCPS teacher would rise to approximately $73,000 next year.