Egyptian CUSD 5, located in Tamms, Alexander County, Illinois, serves 319 students with a teaching staff of 30 headcount (28.41 FTE) under a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Egyptian Education Association, affiliated with the Illinois Education Association (IEA) and National Education Association (NEA). This report synthesizes current compensation, contract terms, and settlement history from the district's public labor records.
District Identity and Bargaining Unit
Egyptian CUSD 5 operates under Illinois State Board of Education identification number 30002005026. The teaching unit is represented by the Egyptian Education Association, an IEA/NEA affiliate. The current contract period runs from July 2025 through June 2028—a three-year term—and was ratified based on publicly available settlement data showing consistent step-and-lane base-salary increases.
The district employs 30 teachers in various roles: 25 classroom teachers, 3 special education teachers, and 2 individuals serving as Dean of Students with teacher certification (but no administrative endorsement). Additionally, the district maintains administrative positions including one superintendent and one building principal, who are outside the union unit.
Salary Schedule and Compensation Structure
Base Salary Ranges (2025–2028)
The contract establishes an eight-column salary schedule with 36 steps of experience credit:
2025–2026 Salary Range:
- BA/BS degree minimum (Step 1): $38,792
- BA/BS degree maximum (Step 36): $68,828
- MA/MS degree minimum (Step 1): $40,531
- MA/MS degree maximum (Step 36): $76,176
Intermediate columns provide advancement credit for educational units: BA+9%, BA+16 hours, MA+9%, and MA+16 hours, with two additional specified columns. The schedule reflects standard Illinois lane-and-step design, where educators progress annually by step until reaching the maximum for their educational qualification.
2026–2027 and 2027–2028 schedules apply identical 3.5% increases across all cells and steps eligible for advancement, resulting in:
- 2026–2027 BA/BS range: $40,150–$87,805
- 2027–2028 BA/BS range: $41,555–$90,879
Actual Teacher Pay (2024–25)
According to Illinois State Board of Education Employment Information System (EIS) data for the 2024–25 school year:
- Average teacher salary: $51,123
- Median teacher salary: $47,880
- 25th–75th percentile range: $40,529–$61,828
Classroom teachers (25 FTE) averaged $51,394, with a median of $48,460. Special Education Teachers (3 FTE) averaged $42,773 with a median of $40,880. Deans of Students (2 individuals with teacher certification) averaged $62,078, with a median of $61,945.
Off-Schedule Compensation
The contract identifies at least two supplemental duty stipends:
- Yearbook (Elementary): 2.5% bonus, Year 1 amount $969.80
- Band Director: 4.0% bonus, Year 2 amount $1,606.00; Year 3 amount $1,662.20
These bonuses are calculated as percentages of base salary and are subject to annual adjustment with base salary increases.
Settlement History and Base Salary Growth
Egyptian CUSD 5 has negotiated nine consecutive settlements on record. The most recent pattern shows consistent annual base-salary increases:
| Contract Period | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25–2025–26 | 3.50% | 3.50% | — |
| 2023–24–2024–25 | 2.74% | 2.62% | — |
| 2022–23–2023–24 | 7.99% | 7.61% | — |
| 2021–22–2022–23 | 0.30% | 0.28% | — |
| 2020–21–2021–22 | 1.51% | 1.43% | — |
| 2019–20–2020–21 | 1.53% | 1.46% | — |
| 2018–19–2019–20 | 1.55% | 1.48% | — |
| 2016–17–2017–18 | 0.63% | 0.59% | — |
| 2015–16–2016–17 | 1.27% | 1.20% | — |
The 2022–23 agreement delivered the largest multi-year increase (7.99% in Year 1), which is notably higher than the surrounding years and reflects a significant correction in competitive positioning. The current 2024–25–2025–26 contract continues the upward trend at 3.50% annually for at least two years, consistent with broader inflationary recovery in public-sector labor markets across the Illinois region.
Benefits and Leave Provisions
Health Insurance
The district provides health insurance with the following employer contribution structure (2025–26):
- Single coverage: Employer pays up to $750/month (retroactive to April 2025) toward the employee's premium
- Family coverage: Employee pays 100% of premium; employer contribution is $0
- Life insurance: Employer provides $15 coverage per employee
The single-coverage cap of $750/month represents a fixed employer contribution; employees with cost growth above that amount bear the difference.
Sick Leave and Personal Days
- Sick leave accumulation: Unused days accumulate to a maximum of 340 days
- Personal days: Teachers receive three (3) paid personal days annually; unused days convert to the sick-leave bank
- Bereavement: Up to two (2) paid days per school year for death of relatives and friends
Retirement
The Board contributes 9.0% of each teacher's creditable earnings to the Teachers Retirement System (TRS), with a cost factor of 1.098901. This employer pick-up is included in the salary schedule calculations; the remaining required TRS contribution is deducted from payroll. Upon separation, unused accumulated sick leave is reported to TRS per system rules.
No early-retirement incentive program or severance pay provision is documented in the current contract.
Workday and Contract Year
- Contract work year: 180 days, unless the teacher is issued an extended contract
- Daily instructional time: Teachers are scheduled for 7 hours and 35 minutes per contractual workday
- Exception: Fall parent-teacher conferences are scheduled at 3 hours per day for 2 days
These provisions are standard for Illinois districts and provide predictability for instruction, planning, and professional development.
Grievance Procedure and Labor Relations
The contract establishes a four-step grievance process:
- Step I: Supervisor
- Step II: Superintendent
- Step III: Board of Education
- Step IV: Binding arbitration (American Arbitration Association)
Final arbitration decisions are binding and conclusive. This mechanism provides the union and individual teachers a recourse for disputes over contract interpretation and application without litigation.
No-Strike Clause
The Egyptian Education Association agrees that neither it nor its members will refuse or reduce service to the district during the contract term. This clause reflects standard enforceability language in Illinois public-sector labor agreements.
Source and Scope
This report draws exclusively from CollBar's district data portal for Egyptian CUSD 5, which aggregates compensation, settlement, and contract information from public records filed with the Illinois State Board of Education and accessible union contract summaries. The figures presented reflect the state of the record as maintained on that page and are not the product of an independent audit or legal verification. Salary-schedule tables, baseline statistics, and settlement history are reported as extracted from official sources; readers requiring real-time verification should consult the district or union directly.
Key Takeaways
Steady wage growth: The current three-year agreement (2025–2028) applies 3.5% annual increases to all salary cells, continuing a pattern of recovery after the minimal gains of 2021–22.
Competitive positioning: The 2022–23 agreement's 7.99% increase suggests the district addressed competitive gaps; subsequent agreements maintain that gain with moderate additional growth.
Modest benefits with fixed health contribution: While the employer's health insurance commitment is capped at $750/month for single coverage, the sick-leave accumulation limit (340 days) and TRS pickup (9.0%) are standard for mid-sized Illinois districts.
Small teaching force: With 28.41 FTE teachers serving 319 students, Egyptian CUSD 5 operates at a scale typical of rural or semi-rural Illinois districts, reflecting lower economies of scale in administration and program delivery.
Union stability: Nine consecutive settlements with no extended work actions on record suggest stable labor relations between the Egyptian Education Association and the school board.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current contract term and when does it expire?
The contract is effective July 2025 through June 2028 (three years). As of the source-page access date, 692 days remained on the agreement.
How do teachers advance on the salary schedule?
Teachers progress annually by step (experience credit) within their education lane (BA, MA, or intermediate levels) until reaching the maximum for their qualification level at Step 36. The contract does not specify restrictions on step advancement or placement of new hires; standard practice is credit for prior teaching experience in other districts.
What is the employer's health insurance obligation?
The district will pay up to $750 per month (as of April 2025 and the 2025–26 school year) toward a single-coverage premium. Family-coverage costs are borne entirely by the employee. Additional details on plan options, deductibles, and coverage scope are not available in the contract summary.
Is there a clothing or professional development allowance?
The contract summary does not document a separate clothing allowance, professional development stipend, or tuition reimbursement for additional education units. Teachers wishing to advance lanes via additional coursework bear those costs themselves unless the district provides alternative support not reflected in this summary.
What happens if a teacher is laid off?
Following a reduction in force, the district must offer reemployment to that teacher if a vacancy or new position arises within one year from August 1 of the RIF year. This recall protection is standard in Illinois public-sector contracts but does not guarantee immediate reinstatement or extended income replacement.
Can the union strike?
No. The Egyptian Education Association agrees not to strike or reduce service during the contract term. This no-strike clause is enforceable and reflects a commitment to labor peace in exchange for binding arbitration rights.
How CollBar Can Help
Understanding labor costs, settlement trends, and contract language is essential for school board members, administrators, union leaders, and budget planners in small and mid-sized districts. CollBar provides tools to track comparables, monitor expiration dates, and analyze compensation across peer districts—enabling informed negotiations and strategic planning.
If you represent Egyptian CUSD 5, a neighboring district, or the union, CollBar can help you navigate the next contract cycle, model salary impacts, and benchmark against regional and state patterns. For questions about Egyptian CUSD 5 labor data, contract analysis, or negotiation support, contact CollBar at (419) 350-8420 or visit our district portal to set up a free account.
