Heights' teachers to receive 3.2-percent pay increase

Teachers in the Jackson Heights school district will receive a 3.2-percent increase in their base salary for the 2026-27 school year, while tenured activity coaches and sponsors, as well as teachers announcing their retirement early enough in the school year, will get a little extra, according to action taken Monday by the USD 335 Board of Education.

The base salary for teachers in the Jackson Heights district was raised by $1,500 for the new school year, from $47,000 last year to $48,500, according to the contract, which was approved on a 7-0 vote but still had some details that needed “cleaning up,” as District Superintendent Jim Howard said.

The contract also includes pay “steps” of $700 that are added to the base salary based on each teacher’s level of continuing education and years of service, and three more “steps” were added to the “bottom” of each column on the teachers’ pay schedule to accommodate teachers with extensive years of service, Howard told board members.

New in this year’s contract is a stipend for staff members who declare their retirements prior to Feb. 1 of each school year. Those who declare their retirements by Sept. 1 of the school year will receive an extra $1,000, while those who declare by Dec. 1 will receive an extra $500 and those who declare by Feb. 1 will receive an extra $300.

“It’s a reward for the ones who let us know they’re going to retire and tell us prior to one of the board meetings,” Howard said. “It encourages them to let us know so that we can start looking for someone to fill their position.”

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