CAPE GIRARDEAU TEACHERS WILL WAIT TO CHANGE REJECTED SALARY SCHEDULE

Cape Girardeau public school administrators and a committee representing teachers have agreed to disagree regarding a proposed salary schedule for certified teachers.

Dr. Dan Tallent, school superintendent, and Dr. Steve DelVecchio, the district's business manager, met with members of the Community Teachers Association salary committee last week to discuss the salary schedule and fringe benefits portions of the teachers' salary package. CTA members had overwhelmingly voted in mid-June to reject a proposed salary schedule that included an average salary increase of 2 percent.

Betty Voss, chairperson of the CTA salary and welfare committee, said last week's meeting was an attempt to obtain increased fringe benefits to offset smaller salary increases. While the average increase was 2 percent, she said, some teachers received increases as small as one-half percent, and the committee had hoped for changes in the fringe benefits to make up the difference.

"The teachers who have the most education and the most experience are getting the least amount of raise," she said. "We just felt like something should go with it for those folks."

Voss emphasized that the rejection of salary schedule was not based on the desire for more money. Last week's meeting ended, she said, because the administrators' said they couldn't approve the committee's changes regarding fringe benefits and because the committee didn't have enough time to research the subject further and allow teachers time to prepare for the coming school year.

"It was a case where we finally agreed to disagree," Voss said. "It's been tradition in the past that when the district doesn't have a lot of money for salary increases, they would do something in the fringe benefits, but we simply could not agree on one this year. There were no hard feelings, but it was obvious we were never going to agree without a lot more study than we had time to go into at this time."

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education will consider the salary schedule during a special meeting Thursday night. DelVecchio said the proposal was the best the district could offer, but he hopes administrators and the committee can develop a mutually agreeable salary schedule in the next two or three years.

"Basically, this is what we've got and this is all we can do," said DelVecchio. "I don't know if we'll be able to do it next year or the year after, but when we find some more money we'll definitely be able to offer the teachers more. We're always open to look at new benefit options for the teachers and everyone in the district."

CTA President Sherry Ford said teachers are not angry with administrators and understand the district's inability to provide larger pay increases. The CTA will put the issue aside for now, she said, and members will begin developing solutions to budget constraints for next year.

"We realize there's just not enough money right now," she said. "We've accepted that and are just trying to come up with a new way of working with our teachers next year. We know there's no money there and it'll probably be a couple of years before we see any real difference."