Cairo teachers OK contract

CAIRO, Ill. -- Cairo teachers have accepted a new four-year contract, according to the Cairo Association of Teachers.

The vote came as school opened last week, ending more than a year of talks and disputes that included a 17-day strike in April and May. Union president Ron Newell said the teachers voted for the deal by a large majority.

The school board will consider the contract on Thursday, and superintendent Robert Isom said he expects the board to approve it.

Last spring's walkout cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars in school funding. Newell said the summer served as a cooling-off period that helped the sides reach an agreement.

Under the new contract, a teacher who made $25,000 with two years of experience last year would get an 8.25 percent raise, which includes retroactive pay and 2 percent raises last year and this year. That would be followed by a 2 percent raise next year and a 5 percent raise the following year. That would push the same teacher's pay to about $29,000 by the 2004-2005 school year.