SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES SALARIES; AVERAGE TEACHER RAISE 3.5 PERCENT

Cape Girardeau teachers received an average 3.5 percent raise Tuesday when the Board of Education approved a salary schedule for the 1996-97 school year.

The board unanimously approved the new schedules at a meeting Tuesday morning. The Community Teachers Association unanimously had approved the salary package earlier in the day.

Each step on the schedule received a 2 percent increase, so every teacher got a raise. But teachers also received a larger raise if they moved from one column to the next through professional development classes or advanced degrees.

Beginning teachers will earn $21,000; the highest salary earned will be $41,260. Neither includes bonuses for extra-curricular activities or services.

Three school board members did not vote on the salary package: Steve Wright, whose wife teaches in the district, left the room while other board members voted; and school board president, Dr. Bob Fox, and Bob Blank did not attend.

About six members of the teachers association attended the meeting. "We're just glad to get it settled," said Betty Voss, who heads the CTA salary committee. One teacher from each school served on the committee.

For the past months members of the CTA salary committee have been meeting with administrators to work on the schedules. Not all the money in the district is used for salaries, so the two sides had to reach agreement. Payroll comprises about 70 percent of the $20 million budget for the Cape Girardeau School District.

"We had to play with the figures," Voss said, explaining that the committee had to wait for tax assessments before beginning.

Administrative and classified staff -- secretaries, bookkeepers, teacher assistants and aides and parent educators -- received a raise based on the percentage of increase in the teachers' salary schedule.

"If they had an incremental increase, then they got that plus their 2 percent," said superintendent, Dr. Dan Tallent. Some of the administrators signed two-year contracts, so no salary increase was shown.

Since the salary package is based on district revenue, none of the schedules was finalized until mid-summer when tax assessments are determined. Teacher contracts must be issued by May 15, so the district offers interim contracts based on the previous year's salary.

"It assured the district that it would have teachers and assured the teachers that they'd be getting what they made last year," Voss said.

Issuing interim contracts is a common practice for the Cape Girardeau district, but one that administrators hope to change.

"We want to move it up so it's done by spring," said Tallent. "But we have to wait for the assessment, which usually comes about the first of June."

Many school districts use various contract methods, said Mike Van Zandt, a lawyer for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Some offer letters of intent until a final contract is negotiated while others simply sign interim contracts until all changes are made.

Jackson R-2 School District doesn't issue interim contracts to its teachers; the 1996-97 salary package was approved before the May 15 deadline.

"Most of the negotiations were done before then," said Jackson superintendent, Dr. Howard Jones. "We actually sent them out with the amount on it."

Jackson teachers received a pay raise and an incentive to get more education with the approval of their new schedule. Each increment on the schedule received a $650 increase.

Beginning teachers in Jackson earn $20,665; the highest paid salary is $41,542.

"Our salaries go higher," Jones said. "And we are pleased with that because it's accepted that the best way to get good teachers is to have good salaries."

In other business, the Cape Girardeau school board gave second reading to its attendance policy. The policy will create a consistent attendance rule for the entire district. It also approved an application for a pilot gifted program at Jefferson, May Greene and Washington elementary schools.