The Rockwood Board of Education has approved pay increases for teachers over the next two years, after six months of negotiations with the Rockwood National Education Association.
RNEA president Thomas Cook said the two-year agreement, which raises teacher’s salaries by 10 percent, is a meaningful first step for the district to be competitive with other districts in St. Louis County.
According to the agreement, salaries will rise by about 5.25 percent in the first year and about 4.75 percent in the second. While the district’s contract extends through the 2027-2028 school year, officials must renegotiate salaries in the third year. The second-year salaries will remain in effect if an agreement cannot be made before the 2027-2028 school year begins.
The contract begins on the first day of the district’s fiscal year, July 1.
Cook said RNEA’s most recent salary proposal was initially rejected by the district on Feb. 27, however, the board reconsidered and moved to accept it on March 3.
“As we look ahead, it is essential that we move forward with mutual honesty, respect and collaboration,” he said. “Educators must be treated as vital members of the Rockwood team. We work every day to ensure the success of our students, and when we come to the bargaining table, we do so not only for our own working conditions but for the learning conditions of the children and families we serve.”
Board members voted 6-0 on March 27 to approve the contract. The seven-member board only has six members after Izzy Imig resigned on March 11, following recent allegations that she stole from Target stores in Ballwin and Chesterfield.
Board member Bob Cadigan said at the meeting that the district must move forward with studying the feasibility of a tax increase measure on a future ballot to ensure that educators remain well compensated in the future.
“This is a first step, and we all acknowledge that,” Cadigan said. “I think this is where we as the community need to get together and see how we move forward for the best interest of the whole Rockwood community. A good negotiation is when everybody either pops the champagne, or we all feel a little jarred by it. Well, maybe for this one, we felt a little jarred together with it, but we’re coming out the other end in a good spot for teachers.”
Board President Lynne Midyett said the negotiation process has made for “a long year.”
“I hope we can continue to work together and for the betterment of our students, because at the end of the day, we’re here for the kids,” she said.
Rockwood teachers gathered before and after school and at board meetings over the course of the last few months to raise awareness of what they see as unfair wages.
Some teachers gathered in Eureka near the intersection of Hwy. 109 and North Street on March 3 to advocate for higher educator pay. Some Geggie Elementary School staff gathered on Feb. 21 with signs reading “More than praise, we need a raise” and “Invest in teachers, invest in our future.”
Cook said Rockwood currently ranks 20th for first-year teachers with a bachelor’s degree with an annual salary of $44,240 according to data from EducationPlus, a St. Louis-based organization with 63 member school districts. The Parkway C-2 School District, which neighbors Rockwood, pays first-year educators $47,500. The Lindbergh School District pays $45,058.
With the ratification of the contract, Rockwood’s first-year educators with a bachelor’s degree will be paid an annual salary of $47,014, about a 6.27 percent increase, for the 2025-2026 school year.
Rockwood also ranks 20th for first-year teachers with a master’s degree, with an annual salary of $47,428. Parkway pays $52,000, and Lindbergh pays $48,202.
Under the contract, first-year teachers with a master’s degree will be paid an annual salary of $50,312, which is just more than a 6 percent raise, in the 2025-2026 school year.
Rockwood pays teachers with a bachelor’s degree on a seven-step system and teachers with a master’s degree on a 25-step system, with teachers typically advancing one step for each year they have taught.
Educators with a bachelor’s degree at step seven will be paid an annual salary of $51,307, which is just more than a 5 percent raise, next school year.
Teachers with a master’s degree in step 13 will be paid $65,424, about a 3 percent increase.
Teachers with a master’s degree and no other graduate hours at step 25 will be paid $93,593, about a 2.5 percent increase.
Rockwood officials previously said the district employs 1,534 certified staff members, including teachers this school year.
“It is not clear where Rockwood will land in next year’s salary rankings as some school districts are still negotiating,” Cook said. “Our hope is that the agreement will put us closer to fulfilling those repeated commitments (from the district) and that it will prevent our district from falling further behind the St. Louis County salary rankings.”
Cadigan said he agreed with Cook’s assessment of the district’s compensation for educators, saying it’s on the lower end of the pay scale.
“Shame on us for letting that happen,” he said.
Cadigan added that Rockwood has one of the lowest tax rates among St. Louis County school districts, at $3.8826 per $100 of assessed valuation. The last increase to the district’s tax levy was in 1994.
According to a 2024 Department of Elementary and Secondary Education tax report, Rockwood’s tax rate is only higher than Lindbergh ($3.8680), Parkway ($3.8673) and Ladue ($3.7133).
“We all know that public education is under pressure from state legislation, federal policy and shifting public sentiment, but here in Rockwood, we have the power to protect and strengthen public education,” Cook said. “That work begins with treating educators as the essential professionals they are and ensuring their voices are not just heard but found.”
Superintendent Curtis Cain said the district would love to pay educators an even higher wage than what was agreed upon, but officials must keep sustainability in mind.
“It’s not just about today,” he said.