Just in time for the end of the school year, the Hammond School Board has ratified the 2023-2024 teacher contract.
The School City of Hammond failed to reach an agreement with the Hammond Teachers Federation by the state's November deadline. The two sides remained at a stalemate for months, as school officials tried to look for ways to cut spending, after voters failed to renew the district's operating referendum.
And the finished product continued to draw criticism during Tuesday's school board meeting.
Board member Kelly Spencer voted in favor, despite her own concerns. "As a teacher myself, I do not agree with this contract," Spencer said. "It does nothing for our teachers, and it is insulting to them."
The contract keeps teachers' base salary the same for this school year, but some argued that changes to health insurance contributions amounted to a pay cut. Administrators were also accused of dragging their feet and significantly changing their offer once they went into mediation.
Morton High School teacher Mark Webster was a member of the bargaining team. He felt this year's negotiations were a waste of time and thousands of dollars.
"Most of those days of negotiation were spent doing very little," Webster told board members. "There were so many days where we came in and it felt like no talking points were actually brought in."
Board member Carlotta Blake-King worried the School City of Hammond would continue losing experienced teachers. "And how are we going to draw new teachers to the district with this kind of crap?" Blake-King asked. "How? How are we going to do that?"
She felt negotiations weren't done fairly, but she had little choice but to support the contract.
