FASTfacts - January 27, 2026 (Vol. 21, Issue 12)

Bargaining Concludes for This School Year

School Board members approved the third and final collective bargaining agreement of the year — this one with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT).

The agreement provides just over $1 million in raises to union members, retroactive to July 1, 2025.

Notable changes in the new agreement include:
• Mediation procedures
• Lateral transfers within the same classification
• Posting of vacancies
• Termination
• Summer employment
• Assignment of bus routes
• Call-back pay
• Annual physicals
• Notice of arrests and convictions
• Supplemental pay

Hourly wage increases range from 25 to 75 cents, depending on pay grade and salary step.

All three agreements — with the Marion Education Association, Marion Education Support Personnel, and IUPAT — add nearly $9 million to each annual MCPS budget going forward.

East Marion to Receive Classroom Walls

A once-popular open-concept school design will soon disappear from East Marion Elementary with the addition of permanent classroom walls.

Built in 1974, the school includes several classroom “pods” with four connected learning spaces that do not have full dividing walls.

Because of increased campus-security needs, a $3.7 million construction project will add walls so classrooms can be individually locked and secured each day. The project will also reconfigure the school’s entrance to create a single point of access.

The work includes associated HVAC ductwork and fire-alarm system adjustments and will be completed in phases to minimize disruption on campus.

Ausley Construction Company is managing the project, which is scheduled for completion by Feb. 1, 2027.

This is the first project funded with sales tax dollars thanks to a voter-approved referendum. 

Additional Layer of High School Security Coming

Opengate weapon-detection systems are coming to MCPS high school campuses and special events, including graduations, following unanimous approval by School Board members.

The column-based systems are funded through referendum dollars via the Safe Schools Department at a cost of $400,000.

Used at the University of Florida, Disney parks, and other high-traffic venues, the systems screen students and visitors as they walk between two beacons that detect weapons on individuals or in backpacks in a nonintrusive way. The process allows large numbers of people to be cleared quickly.

Nineteen units will be purchased — two for each high school (including South Marion High opening in August), two for districtwide use, and one for Bridgeway Academy. 

Students who participated in All-State music groups pose with their music teachers and School Board members after being formally recognized at tonight's meeting.