Pay package gets first look
Pay package gets first look
By JILL DENNING GACKLE
If Garrison teachers and board members agreed Wednesday night on next year’s salaries, one negotiator said it will be the quickest settlement in 10 years.
Teachers came to the first meeting Monday night with two salary requests: an unspecified increase in salary and to pay teachers $18 an hour (up from $15) when they substitute for other teachers during their prep periods. Substitute pay of currently $90 a day would be eliminated from the contracts and the pay would be the decision of the administration. Teachers also asked that freshmen and senior advisors be paid.
Three school board representatives did not offer an amount for a salary increase, but all indicators are that it won’t be as much as previous years. Last year the teachers received a 6 percent increase and the base was raised to $31,000.
The money for the salary increases came from a $498,000 salary compensation package awarded by the 2011 lawmakers to spend during the next two years. The board said last year they wanted to spend no more than 70 percent for salaries last year, leaving a smaller amount for second year increases.
