Unit 4 board votes Oct. 26 on support-staff contract with first-year raises up to 7.5%

CHAMPAIGN - Champaign Unit 4's school board votes Monday, Oct. 26, on a new support-staff contract with first-year raises of step plus 3.25% to 7.5%, by pay lane, according to the board's agenda documents. The 5:30 p.m. meeting is at the Mellon Administration Building, 703 S. New St.

The Champaign Educational Support Professionals contract expired June 30. The two sides reached a tentative agreement Oct. 6; members ratified it Oct. 21. The deal runs July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, with raises of step plus 3.25% in each of the last two years. Starting pay for Lane A workers, such as bus and hall monitors, would be $17.68 an hour in 2026-27, the wage schedule shows.

The agreement also adds paid parental leave, with the first 10 days at full pay for eligible members with three years of service, raises district contributions to family health insurance and makes Independence Day a paid holiday. The documents give no total cost.

The board also holds a hearing on waiving the state's 5% cap on administrative-cost increases for fiscal 2026, and its consent agenda includes a $40,000 robotic field line painter from Turf Tank.

Source: Unit 4 Oct. 26 board documents (https://champaign-schools.community.highbond.com/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Id=1491).