SALARY PACKAGE APPROVED; SCHOOL EMPLOYEES GET 3.5 PERCENT MORE

Employees of Cape Girardeau's school district will earn an average of 3.5 percent more next year than this under a new salary package adopted by the Board of Education Wednesday.

The board approved the package during a special session Wednesday night at the Central High School Auditorium. The proposal was approved by the Community Teachers Association Wednesday afternoon.

The board approved raises for teachers, administrators and support staff at an average of 3.5 percent. Some details, including specific pay rates for administrators, had yet to be figured.

The total package for teachers and administrators costs an additional $365,872. Cost for pay raises for support staff total $81,504.

Business Manager Larry Dew said anticipated revenue to the district from new local construction, a credit on utility and water from the city, anticipated increases in state funding and dipping into district savings will pay for the package.

Specifically, he said $11 million in new construction will generate about $332,200 in new revenue. The bulk of those taxes will come from the new Health Services Corporation of America construction project.

In explaining the package, Dew said the average teacher salary for 1993-94 is $27,958. That figure is calculated by dividing the district's 313 classroom teachers by the $8.75 million total teachers are paid.

Increases in administrative salaries totals $30,000, and the district must spend $33,261 in additional retirement benefits.

Teachers and support staff are paid based on a schedule.

The teacher salary schedule takes into account years of experience and education. It includes 97 different salaries and ranges from 1 to 25 years experience and from a bachelor's degree to a specialist's degree.

A beginning teacher with a bachelor's degree will make $19,900 for 1993-94. Last year, that same teacher made $19,400.

The top salary on the schedule is $37,040 for teachers with 25 years experience and a masters degree plus 30 additional hours of graduate work. Some teachers exceed that top step, earning a 1.015 percent raise.

Each base salary level on the schedule was increased by $500. Each step up for education was increased by $20.

Because of the fluctuation of salaries along the schedule, the actual percentage of pay increase varies from 1.25 to 5 percent.

Neil Casey, newly elected president of the Community Teachers Association, told the board, "We are committed to raising the salary schedule to meet the state average of $28,948. The purpose of this objective is to enable the Cape Girardeau Public Schools to hire and retain the most qualified teachers and to enhance our ability to recruit minority teachers into our district."

Myrnita Grantham, chairman of the CTA salary committee, said teachers were pleased to be getting a raise.

"We went two years without any salary schedule improvement," she said. "Many teachers expressed to me that they didn't expect to get anything. Is this enough? No."

When educators figure salaries, two elements are considered. One part is the actual salaries reflected on the scale. The increase in those salaries nets out to about a 2.75 percent increase, said Dew. The increase in dollars is $233,256.

Movement is also figured as teachers increase their education and experience. The cost of schedule movement will be $65,276.

The two are added together to come up with the 3.5 percent increase.

Last year, teachers were allowed to move on the schedule. Salaries at each of the levels remained the same.

This year's package also includes an increase of five sick days for each of the upcoming four years, bringing the maximum number of sick days from 110 to 130 days per year after the four years.

Teachers who coach a sport or sponsor a student activity receive extra service pay tied to the beginning teacher salary. Since the starting salary is going up, so is extra service pay, costing an additional $4,079.