The Plymouth-Canton school board is set to vote Tuesday, Aug. 25, on ratifying a tentative contract agreement with the Plymouth-Canton Education Association, the district's teachers union, along with two other bargaining units, according to the board's Aug. 25 regular meeting agenda. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the E.J. McClendon Educational Center, 454 S. Harvey St. in Plymouth, preceded by a 6 p.m. closed special session. Students return for a half-day on Monday, Aug. 31.
The PCEA resolution is listed for a First and Final Reading, meaning the board could ratify it in a single vote that night. Agenda items also call for votes on tentative agreements with the Plymouth-Canton Security Officers Association and the Plymouth-Canton Extended Day Association (PCEDA).
Teachers report back to buildings that same Tuesday, Aug. 25, before the evening's vote.
What changed
At the board's July 9 organizational meeting, trustees approved tentative agreements with four other bargaining units, office personnel, plant engineers, cafeteria workers and administrators, but not with PCEA. The board then held a closed session on Aug. 4 to receive a negotiations update on the teacher contract. No public outcome was announced at the time.
The PCEA tentative agreement now headed to a vote covers the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years, with wage and calendar reopeners for 2028-29. It includes a new wage scale with raises in the first year and a full step increase plus additional raises in the second, along with changes to planning time, special education staffing support, class-size overage pay, sick leave and medical benefits.
$10 million in cuts loom over new school year
The unresolved contract has sat against a difficult budget picture. The district's adopted 2026-27 budget calls for approximately $10 million in reductions this fiscal year, followed by $8 million annually in FY28 and FY29, to maintain a 15% fund balance. Chief Finance and Operations Officer Jill Minnick outlined the plan at the May 26 board meeting, citing staffing reductions, operational efficiencies and contract reviews among the strategies.
Enrollment is projected to decline by about 75 students, though state aid is expected to rise to approximately $10,300 per pupil, a $250-per-student increase over last year, according to board records from the June 23 meeting.
What else to watch
The board already adopted a Wireless Communications Devices Policy on First and Final Reading at its Aug. 4 meeting, passing it 6-0 in response to new state legislation requiring such policies for the 2026-27 school year.
Board President Anupam Chugh Sidhu leads a board that includes a new member: Joe Tollefson, appointed July 9 to fill the seat vacated by Cheryl Picard and serving through Dec. 31, 2026.
On Nov. 3, voters will decide on a 1.5-mill sinking fund that would generate approximately $13.5 million annually over 10 years for facility, technology, transportation and safety improvements. The board approved placing that measure on the ballot in a 6-0 vote on July 9.
