From left, Jamestown Public Schools Board of Education President Paul Abbott and Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker, look over documents Tuesday during a meeting. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

The Jamestown Teachers Association has a new contract.

The three-year JTA deal was approved this week by the Jamestown Public Schools Board of Education.

The contract is from July 1 to June 30, 2028, and carries with it salary increases of 3.25% for 2025-26, 3% for 2026-2027, and 3% for 2027-2028.

“I would like to congratulate both sides,” JPS Board President Paul Abbott said. “I know there was a lot of collaboration, a lot of hard work that went into this. Many hours were spent on this. … I’m glad to see that we have a contract in place with our largest union through 2028.”

Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker echoed Abbott’s remarks.

“The commitment to get to a resolution was strong on both sides, and I’m going to say thank you to JTA and their representatives, both for sticking it out and coming to an agreement, and also to the JTA rank-and-file who voted to approve and ratify this potential contract that is before the board,” Whitaker said.

The new contract also has a years of service longevity schedule for teachers. In September and February immediately following the completion of their four, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years of service to the district, teachers will begin receiving an annual longevity award.

For four years of service, teachers will receive $750. For 10 years of service, teachers will receive $1,250. For 15 years of service, teachers will receive $1,750. For 20 years of service, teachers will receive $2,500. For 25 years of service, teachers will receive $3,250. For 30 years of service, teachers will receive $4,250, and for 35 years of service, teachers will receive $5,500.

Also in the contract, the district will schedule up to six superintendent’s conference days to be used for professional development, at least two of which may be scheduled prior to Sept. 1. The contract also called for a new day limit per year. For the 2025-26 school year, the contract said, the work year for teachers shall not exceed 188 work days. For the 2026-27 school year and years thereafter, the work year for teachers shall not exceed 186 work days.

Whitaker said JTA has been without a contract for about a year and a half.

“We started (negotiations) while the previous one (contract) was still in effect,” Whitaker said.

The superintendent added both sides came to an agreement to extend the contract for another year with some minor changes.

“Then we went back at it (negotiations) over the course of that year and then resolved it (the contract) before the end of 2025,” Whitaker said.

For more information on the contract, visit jpsny.org.