Mason School Board Approves 3-Year Agreement with Teachers

During its August 27 meeting, the Mason City Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a three-year agreement with the Mason Education Association (MEA) that keeps Mason educators' salaries in the market's top tier and provides educators more time to collaborate, learn, and recharge. The contract, which reflects a collaborative effort between the district and the association, was overwhelmingly ratified on August 15 by the MEA, representing 644 Mason educators.
The agreement includes a base salary increase of 3 percent for both the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years, followed by a 2.75 percent increase in the 2026-2027 school year. These increases are designed to sustain Mason’s commitment to attracting and retaining top-tier educational talent while also being mindful of the district’s fiscal responsibilities.
One of the key highlights of the new agreement is the enhanced emphasis on collaborative and professional learning time for educators. The contract includes 30 hours of Teacher Flex Time, allowing teachers to work, collaborate, and learn at their discretion, and introduces 12.5 hours of dedicated on-campus collaboration time. Additionally, the contract increases personalized professional learning and collaboration hours to 27.5 hours, up from 15 hours in the previous agreement.
“Tonight marks another step forward in Mason City Schools' mission to provide an exceptional educational experience for all students while fostering a collaborative and supportive environment for educators. This agreement reflects our shared commitment to providing the best possible education for our students by ensuring that our teachers have the time and resources they need to collaborate, innovate, and grow together,” said Charles Galvin, School Board President. “We believe these changes will continue to strengthen the educational experience for every Mason student.”
The contract also adjusts the academic calendar. The 2024-2025 school year will now conclude on Friday, May 23, 2025, the Friday before Memorial Day. This change gives students and families an earlier summer start while giving educators additional professional development time. Specifically, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, will be a 7.5-hour flex day, and Wednesday, May 28, 2025, will be a 3.5-hour flex day for staff. The final two days of the contract year, May 29 and May 30, 2025, will be non-work days for MEA members.
For the 2025-2026 school year, the contract reduces the total number of student days to 178, with 171 traditional in-person days, in order to accommodate the additional Teacher Flex Time, on-campus collaboration time, and professional learning. The district will introduce two additional Personal Learning Days (PLDs), bringing the total to four, which will replace three in-person student days from previous contracts.
“The changes in our calendar and the increased collaboration time are critical for supporting our teachers as they continue to deliver the Mason Quality education and experiences our students deserve and our community expects,” said Jonathan Cooper, Superintendent. “We are grateful to the Mason community for its continued support and for recognizing the importance of investing in our educators.”
The agreement maintains Mason’s competitive healthcare benefits. Currently, MCS employees have a high deductible health plan with a Health Savings Account and pay 15% of their healthcare premium.
The district pays $1,000 towards the $2,000 deductible of a single plan and $2,000 towards the $4,000 deductible of a family plan. The district's administrators and non-union classified employees will receive the same salary adjustments as those outlined in the agreement with the MEA.
“The Board of Education remains committed to ensuring that our district remains competitive in the region while being responsible stewards of taxpayer resources. This agreement represents a thoughtful balance that supports our educators, our students, and our community,” added Galvin.