GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) and the Grand Rapids Education Association (GREA) have reached an agreement, including historic wage increases, for teachers and staff.
If approved, GRPS employees could see raises in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years. Those raises range from $2,000 to $10,000, depending on years of service and education level, according to the district.
“Through this tentative agreement, GRPS teachers and ancillary staff will see a substantial increase in the starting wage and overall improvements to the salary schedule, including providing wage increases with each year of service,” district officials wrote on their website. “If approved, employees would receive their wage increase retroactively to the beginning of the 2025-26 school year.”
In addition to increased wages over those two school years, GRPS and the Grand Rapids Education Association reached a tentative agreement over the following:
- Increased elementary planning time and monetary stipends: Elementary teachers may receive a monetary stipend for planning time that they perform outside of the contractual workday. That amount was substantially increased for both 2025-26 and 2026-27. For 2026-27, the district was also able to increase elementary teacher planning time scheduled during the contractual work day.
- Teacher evaluation: The parties negotiated a process and procedure for conducting teacher evaluations, including observations, use of student growth and assessment data, and addressing performance deficiencies.
- Teacher discipline: The parties negotiated a process for investigating allegations of staff misconduct and implementing discipline, when appropriate.
- Increased insurance contributions: The district will continue to pay the insurance cap rates published by the Department of Treasury. If the law is amended or repealed, the parties will bargain over the impact of that change.
- Increases to retirement payout: Teachers receive a payout for unused sick days if they provide notice of their retirement before spring break. The per diem amount teachers receive to calculate the payout was increased to incentivize teacher attendance.
- Increases to class overload payments: Teachers receive a per student/per day payment if a teacher is assigned to teach a class that is over the class size maximum. The amount paid per student/per day was increased.
- Improvements to paid bereavement leave: The district will provide two days of paid bereavement leave for immediate family in addition to sick and personal days received under the contract.
- Reduction in contractual parent-teacher conference time: The number of contractual hours for parent teacher conferences was reduced, however, all scholars’ parent/guardian must have an opportunity to a conference with the teacher in the fall and spring.
GRPS estimates that the two-year contract represents an additional $10.4 million investment in educators.
It also reflects the district’s belief that educators shape the future of the community while reinforcing GRPS is a “district of choice for educators in West Michigan,” according to Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby.
“We are confident this agreement will help retain our exceptional teachers and staff, while also attracting new educators to our district,” Roby said.
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As of Tuesday, the agreement remains tentative. It must be approved by both the Board of Education and the GREA Bargaining Unit before it can go into effect.