East Lansing Teachers’ Union Votes Against Proposed Contract

Members of the East Lansing Education Association (ELEA) (teachers’ union) voted against a proposed new contract on Monday, Aug. 4. The previous contract expired on June 30, meaning teachers are working without an agreement.

ELi spoke with outgoing ELEA President Ross Gorman on Tuesday to learn where the union will go from here. He said he is meeting with the negotiation team on Wednesday and putting together surveys to get teacher feedback. He will also meet with ELPS Superintendent Dori Leyko to discuss the results.

Sources familiar with the contract that was voted down say teachers would have received a 1% raise and one level of seniority, referred to as a “step.” Teachers ELi spoke with scoffed at these contract points after Leyko received a more than $80,000 raise last year.

Mark Pontoni, former ELEA president and retired ELHS educator, told ELi that a simple majority vote is needed to approve the teachers’ contract and that without one, it’s possible the union and administration will agree to follow the expired contract in absence of a new one.

Pontoni also offered his perspective on the failure to approve the new agreement.

“The administration raises killed any hope for crying poor,” he said, referencing the raises that Leyko and other administrators received in 2024. “They may actually have financial issues coming, but putting it 100% on teachers was a strategic error.”

In a text message, Leyko said that the first day of school will still be August 25 and she is “working on getting some answers” and meeting with the district’s legal counsel.

Disclosure: Mark Pontoni previously reported for ELi.