Ann Arbor Public Schools: Staffing Agreements at a Glance

[Shadowninja]

From the Desk of Lady Budgetdown

As part of our continuing review of Ann Arbor Public Schools, I spent some time going through the district's labor agreements, salary schedules, and related memorandums of agreement.

And Ann Arbor is a little different from some of the districts we've reviewed.

Rather than having one simple contract structure, compensation and benefits are spread across several bargaining units, including teachers, administrators, office professionals, paraeducators, and technical support staff. Some groups have full master agreements posted, while others have newer salary schedules or side agreements that update parts of older contracts.

So, instead of trying to dump hundreds of pages of contract language on you, here are the provisions that stood out most.

Teachers — Ann Arbor Education Association

The teacher agreement runs through December 31, 2025. For 2023-24, teachers received a 2% salary schedule increase, eligible employees received full step advancement, and the agreement added a $2,500 annual longevity payment for teachers with at least 17 years of qualifying Ann Arbor service.

The 2024-25 salary schedule then reflects another 1.5% increase plus full step movement. The schedule is based on both experience and education level, ranging from BA through Ph.D.

Teachers may accumulate up to 200 sick days, with accrual increasing based on years of service: one day per month in years 1-10, 1.5 days per month in years 11-20, and two days per month after 21 years.

There is also a legacy terminal-leave benefit for certain teachers hired on or before June 13, 2003, calculated using a formula tied to salary and years of service.

Administrators — Ann Arbor Administrators Association

For administrators, the current salary schedule shows a 1.5% increase in base pay for 2024-25. Administrators can also receive flat additions for advanced degrees: $500 for MA+30, $1,000 for an Education Specialist degree, and $2,500 for a Ph.D.
After 11 years in the administrator bargaining unit, members receive longevity equal to 1% above Step 8 base pay, and the supplemental hourly rate is $65.43.

One document also stood out because of its timing. In May 2024, the administrator group and district agreed to postpone their economic reopener because of what the agreement itself describes as the district's "current financial crisis."

One important transparency note: the full administrator master agreement posted among the records reviewed is dated 2017-2019, while the salary schedule is much newer. So I am not treating old benefit provisions as if they are automatically current.

Office Professionals

Office professionals also received a 2% salary increase for 2023-24, along with full step advancement for eligible employees. Longevity is set at 4% above Step 10 after 10 years of qualifying service.

For 2024-25, the salary schedule reflects another 1.5% increase and one full step advancement.

Their sick-leave provisions allow up to 200 accumulated sick days, with most employees earning one day per month through 10 years and 1.5 days per month after 11 years. Some grandfathered employees retain even higher accrual rates.

Paraeducators

Paraeducators received a 2% salary increase for 2023-24 and full step advancement for qualifying employees.

The 2024-25 schedule adds another 1.5% increase plus step advancement, and the longevity levels were also increased.

This group has a layered longevity system at 6, 8, and 10 years of service, and paraeducators with 20 or more years of Ann Arbor service receive an additional $1,000 stipend.

Most paraeducators also receive 1.5 sick days per month, with a maximum accumulation of 125 days.

The para agreement also includes specific provisions covering reductions in hours, elimination of positions, and reduction in personnel, something I intend to revisit once MI School Data is back online and we can see exactly where staffing reductions occurred.

Technical Support Staff

For technical support employees, the document posted is a 2025-26 salary schedule, not a full contract.

The schedule covers positions ranging from Technology Assistant to Network Engineer, with annual salaries reaching approximately $85,000 at the highest posted step.

It also states that the schedule reflects the reinstatement of furlough days and one step, with longevity levels after 10 and 15 years of service.

What stood out to me most

Across nearly every bargaining unit, longevity compensation plays a significant role.

Teachers have longevity pay.

Administrators have longevity pay.

Office professionals have longevity pay.

Paraeducators have multiple longevity tiers and an additional long-service stipend.

Technical support employees also have longevity steps.

None of that is inherently good or bad. It simply means that base salary alone does not always tell the full compensation story.
It also reinforces why contract analysis matters.

A salary schedule might tell you what someone earns today.

The contract tells you how that salary grows, what additional compensation may apply, how leave accumulates, what happens after long service, and what protections exist during staffing reductions.

And in Ann Arbor, that matters even more because we already know from the district's audit that staffing reductions and reduced wage and benefit costs played a role in rebuilding the General Fund.

The next question is still the same:

Which employee groups absorbed those staffing reductions?

Once MI School Data comes back online, we'll take a much closer look.

With receipts and respect.

Data compiled and visualized by Lady Budgetdown using publicly available records.

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