ADVANCED TEACHER TRAINING AIM OF NEW SALARY SCHEDULE

JACKSON -- The Jackson Board of Education wants its teachers to go back to school, so they revamped the salary schedule to provide the incentive.

"We want to invest in our classroom teachers because that's the key to a good system," said Superintendent Dr. Howard Jones. "It's logical to have incentives for earning advance graduate work, but there's not enough incentive to get training."

The school board unanimously approved a new salary schedule Tuesday night at a board meeting. The schedule offers a $650 increment for all teachers and will pay incentives to teachers who go on to complete a master's degree. However, it doesn't punish teachers who don't complete an advanced degree since it will be phased in over a 10-year period, school officials say.

The new schedule will allow the district to stay competitive and attract new teachers, Jones said. It was unanimously approved Friday by the Community Teachers Association. About seven teachers on the district's salary committee attended Tuesday's meeting.

Unsquaring the schedule is a major change for the district, Jones said. "But it allows us to react to the change in rules without hurting any existing teachers."

The current salary schedule was squared during the 1977-78 school year and created so that there were equal steps for each column of education and experience.

The new schedule will add a step for the 1996-97 year in all columns. Beginning in 1997-98, the schedule will reduce a step in the beginning column until it reaches only 15 steps instead of the current 24. Additional steps will be added for teachers with advanced degrees or credit hours toward a degree.

To compensate for the reduction of steps, an additional column will be added at the end for teachers with a master's degree. That column will be in place next fall.

Teachers with a lifetime teaching certificate will be grandfathered into the program in the last column, Jones said.

In other action:

-- The board approved the alternative education program at the junior high school for the fall. It will be geared toward at-risk students as a replacement for suspensions, said Assistant Superintendent Fred Jones.

-- The board approved funding for a gifted-education program and a federal Safe and Drug Free Schools and Community program.

JACKSON BOARD OF EDUCATION

Tuesday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m., Middle School Library

Action Items

*Approved teacher salary schedule for 1996-97.

*Approved bids for capital projects.

*Approved resolution calling a bond election in Reorganized School District R-II of Cape Girardeau County.

*Approved alternative education center program for junior high school.

*Approved state-approved gifted education program for 1996-97.

*Approved federal Safe and Drug Free School and Community program for 1996-97.

Information Items

*Assistant superintendent's report.

*Superintendent's report.

*Discuss future agenda items.

Executive session to consider employment, personnel evaluations and real estate.