OMAHA- The Omaha Public Schools district is making substantial changes to its employee contract to address its staffing shortage. During Monday’s meeting, the school board approved amendments to the collective bargaining agreement with the teachers’ union and paraprofessionals’ union for the rest of this year and the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.

The changes will impact special education teachers, instructional facilitators, paraprofessionals and teachers with advanced degrees. It will cost the district $34.8 million for the length of the contracts. “I have had several teachers reach out to me this past weekend regarding change,” said Kathy Poehling, president of the Omaha Education Association (OEA). “Many have called to thank the OEA and others have called in joyful tears to say after working for OPS for over 20 years, they can now quit their second job.

The new agreement will adjust the district’s salary schedule to give those with the most advanced degrees, on average, the highest total compensation among local and national peer districts. For example, a teacher with a master’s degree and five years of experience has been paid $59,590, but will receive $63,050 with the new contract. With 10 years of experience, the salary for such a teacher would rise from $64,640 to $70,550.

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