Detroit Federation of Teachers approves tentative 2-year agreement with school district

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The Detroit teachers union voted to approve a tentative agreement with the school district that would give new bonuses to attendance agents, career and technical education teachers, and staff certified to teach English language learners, union officials confirmed Wednesday.

Many of the Detroit Federation of Teachers’ bargaining priorities made it into the proposal, including higher wages for all members and additional workplace protections, a copy of the tentative agreement obtained by Chalkbeat shows. The contract covers the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years.

“This contract is important for the Detroit Federation of Teachers, and for all of the other unions here in the district,” said union president Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins at a Wednesday press conference. She added the DFT’s contract wins could serve as an example for other unions in the city and the state.

More than 80% of the 2,600 members who participated in the vote approved the contract this week, said Wilson-Lumpkins.

More than 5,000 people belong to the DFT. Union membership includes teachers, paraprofessionals, academic interventionists, and psychologists, among other school staff.

The school board must approve the contract before it is final. The union has not publicly released a copy of the tentative agreement.

The current union contract expires June 30.

School board president LaTrice McClendon praised the union and the district for moving the agreement forward. The board is focused on ensuring higher pay for educators and meaningful professional development, she added.

“Our teachers are the foundation of that progress, and we are proud to support them,” she told Chalkbeat in an email.

District administrators did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the tentative agreement.

Here are some key highlights of what is new in the tentative agreement:

• All union members would advance one step in the pay scale each year of the contract, except those in alternative certification programs. The starting annual salary would be $57,400 for those with bachelor’s degrees. It is $55,000 a year in the current contract.
• The agreement includes a 7.49% increase to the maximum salary for teachers and credentialed ancillary staff, such as counselors, speech language pathologists, psychologists, and other positions. The top annual salary possible for teachers with a master’s degree would be $96,500 in 2026-27 and $100,100 in 2027-28. The maximum in the current contract is $93,000 a year.
• Substitute teachers would get a 3% raise in 2026-27 and 2027-28.
• Attendance agents would get performance bonuses of up to $2,000 annually for decreasing chronic absenteeism rates in their schools.
• General education prekindergarten through fifth grade homeroom teachers would not have more than six students diagnosed with autism or emotional impairment in their classrooms. Teachers would get stipends of up to $4,000 a year based on the number of students with the diagnoses in their classrooms.
• Ancillary staff with an endorsement in English as a second language or bilingual education or those asked to serve a school with a student population of 50% or more English learners would get a one-time $5,000 retention bonus. The current contract only provides the bonus to teachers with the certification.
• Members in career and technical education programs would get bonuses of up to $2,000 annually based on the percentage of their students who earn credentials or licenses in their fields of study.
• Building administrators would have to notify employees of any potential threats to physical safety or threats to staff and students, such as lockdowns, disease outbreaks, and major facility issues.
• If schools close or merge, the district would have to make “all reasonable efforts” to transfer staff to the new neighborhood school students are assigned to.
• Employees would still get up to 12 weeks of maternity and paternity leave through the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. However, the new agreement would return six weeks of leave to the employees after their parental leave.

The agreement would also keep current bonuses for special education teachers and staff who evaluate students, those who remain in the district for 15 or more years, as well as retention pay for full- and part-time staff.

The agreement does not include language asking DPSCD to reinforce its commitment to its status as a sanctuary district for immigrant students, as union president Wilson-Lumpkins said the union would seek in a new contract earlier this year.

Kelsey Wiley, a teacher at Cass Technical High School, said she is disappointed the contract does not include mandatory Know Your Rights training for staff on interacting with immigration enforcement. Members were told months ago the language would be in the contract, she added.

“It’s unfortunate and it’s a complete misstep on the union’s end,” said Wiley.

Wilson-Lumpkins said the state and national teachers unions the DFT belongs to have issued “very strong resolutions” that express support for immigrant students and their educators. The DFT has held forums and provided Know Your Rights information.

Hannah Dellinger covers Detroit schools for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.