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Warsaw School Board approved the final draft of the 2026-27 school year calendar Tuesday.
The first day of school for students will be Aug. 7, 2026.
The end of the first nine weeks will be Oct. 9 and the end of the second nine weeks will be Dec. 18, 2026. The end of the third nine weeks of school is March 12, 2027.
The last day of school for students is May 21, 2027. High school graduation is set for May 28, 2027.
Fall break will be Oct. 12-16, 2026. Thanksgiving break will be Nov. 25-27, 2026. Christmas break is Dec. 21-Jan. 1. Spring break is April 5-9, 2027.
Chief Accountability Officer Kyle Carter said next year’s calendar is very similar to the 2025-26 school year.
Earlier in the meeting, the board ratified the 2025-27 collective bargaining agreement with the Warsaw Community Education Association (WCEA).
Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert said negotiations started Sept. 15. The school board and WCEA came to an agreement about two weeks ago. WCEA ratified the agreement Nov. 3. The school board had a public hearing on the agreement Friday.
The agreement goes retroactively from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027.
The agreement includes a $2,000 pay increase to all certified teachers for the 2025-26 school year and a $1,200 increase for the 2026-27 school year. There will be a $500 increase for the base salary for teachers with 10-28 years of experience for the 2025-26 school year. Also, teachers who received the literary endorsement will receive a one-time increase to their base salary of $500. There will be a continuation of a $3,000 increase to the teacher’s salary for obtaining their master’s degree, he said.
For teachers up to five years of experience, the agreement will bring their salary range to $49,000 to $54,800 for the 2025-26 school year. For teachers with six to 10 years of experience, their salary range is $50,100-$56,236. For teachers with 11 to 15 years of experience, the salary range is $52,578-$60,900. For teachers with 16 or more years of experience, the salary range is $54,128-$81,304.
For the 2026-27, school year, the agreement will bring their salary range to $50,000-$56,000 for teachers with up to five years experience. For teachers with six to 10 years of experience, their salary range is $51,300-$57,436. For teachers with 11 to 15 years of experience, the salary range is $53,778-$62,109. For teachers with 16 or more years of experience, the salary range is $55,328-$82,504.
Chief Financial Officer Stephen Boyer said they also wanted to recognize the school corporation had 700 employees other than certified teachers. In 2026 and 2027, there will be a 3% pay increase for the corporation’s classified employees. Boyer also said there will be a 2.5% increase for administrative employees for the 2025-26 school year and another a 2.5% salary increase for 2026-27.
In other business, the board:
• Heard Board President Heather Reichenbach thank veterans for serving their country, as well as their communities.
The board recognized board member Brad Johnson, who served in the Navy, and Transportation Director Mark Fick, who served in the Army.
Hoffert said WCS employs 24 veterans.
• Heard student Barrett Hodorek placed second at the 2025 National Civics Bee Championship Tuesday. The competition started with 39 participants.
