GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It’s official, the Grand Rapids Board of Education voted unanimously on Monday to approve a two-year contract with the Grand Rapids Education Association (GREA). The new contract brings with it “significant” salary increases for Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) educators.
The contract includes an increase in starting wages for educators and adds yearly raises. Previously, they used a model in which GREA members received raises every three years. Raises for individual employees range from $2,000 to more than $10,000, according to GRPS, based on how many years the educators have been with the district and their education level.
Employees will receive these raises retroactively to the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. GRPS estimated the two-year contract represents an additional $10.4 million investment in educators, an increase of 11.8%…