S-DEA Accepts A Pay Freeze For 2020-2021 School Year

The total savings from this freeze is approximately $450,000.

(Sunman, Ind.) - Sunman-Dearborn teachers will be giving up their pay raises to help the school corporation meet budget restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Sunman-Dearborn Community Schools Superintendent Andrew Jackson tells Eagle Country 99.3 that the corporation has a two-year negotiated contract with the teachers that calls for a average 3% increase for the 2020-2021 academic year. 

With the impending economic decline and a considerable decrease in revenue from the state, the board began to look at various budget reductions for the upcoming school year. 

Jackson met with the Sunman-Dearborn Educators Association (S-DEA) on several occasions to discuss some reductions, including a pay freeze.

The S-DEA negotiations committee recommended to the full membership to approve of the pay freeze. The S-DEA understood the situation, took the committee's recommendation into consideration, and ultimately made the decision to accept the pay freeze. 

The total savings from this freeze is approximately $450,000.

"I am very proud of their efforts," said Superintendent Jackson. "They showed through their actions, that we truly are all in this together."