The Duneland School Board on Monday granted raises to its administrators along with full-time and part-time classified employees, a month after ratifying a new two-year contract for teachers.
Superintendent Chip Pettit said that the administrators, including principals and assistant principals, will receive the same $3,500 increase that teachers were recently granted.
The raise consists of a $3,000 salary increase and a one-time $500 stipend payment. The increase is retroactive to July 1, 2025.
The full-time classified employees will be receiving a 3% pay increase for the 2025-26 school year.
Part-time employees, who work up to 30 hours per week, will see their hourly pay increase by 50 cents per hour, which is around 2.8%. That raise will take effect after Jan. 1, 2026.
Pettit said that it’s important for the school district to pay its employees a competitive wage.
Duneland Schools are in a more financially secure position after voters on Nov. 4 approved the renewal of an operating referendum. The renewal will raise $16.1 million annually and allow the school district to stay ahead of the property tax reforms enacted by the state legislature that reduce revenue for municipalities and schools.
In other business, the board gave its approval to allow the school district to advertise for bids for capital improvement projects at Chesterton High School.
Pettit said that the items include: a dust collection system for the building trades department; media center furniture and wall coverings; improvements for the softball, baseball and tennis venues; fieldhouse flooring; and mechanical improvements. They will also look at improving storage for the athletic and music departments and upgrading marching band equipment.
All of the items are expected to cost $2 million to $2.5 million.
“The intent is to collect bids and then prioritize work to be done based on the cost of the improvements,” Pettit said.
The capital improvements will be funded from the $14.39 million general obligation bond that the school district obtained earlier this year. The funds have already been used to develop a new soccer complex and to replace carpet at the high school.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
