Burlington, IA –
Burlington
The Burlington School District and the Burlington Education Association have ratified a new contract for the 2010/2011 school year.
The deal calls for a $3,049 increase in the base pay for a starting teacher ($29,674). $2,909 of that is considered teacher quality money.
Business Manager Chris Van Meter says teachers used to receive this money on top of their salaries. She says the state provided the funding directly to districts.
Van Meter says the teacher quality money must now be factored into the base pay so it can be paid using the regular state-aid formula. She says that impacts the district's sliding salary scale.
Van Meter says the remaining $140 increase was negotiated by the two sides.
The new contract also calls for the district to continue providing single health insurance policies and paying for 90% of family plans.
The new contract will cost the district an additional $700,000.
Van Meter says that is a level that will allow Burlington to reverse a second round of budget cuts. She says the district considered eliminating five positions and 17 stipends for extra-curricular activities when it looked like budget talks could stall.
Keokuk
The Keokuk School Board and the Keokuk Education Association have signed off on a new one-year employment contract.
Superintendent Lora Wolff says the base pay for teachers will increase by 0.9% to $30,275. The district initially sought a freeze in the base pay while the KEA wanted a two percent hike.
Wolff says the district calculated next year's budget with an increase in pay for teachers. So there is no need to make additional budget cuts at this time.
Wolff says the district will continue to pay for a single health insurance policy for each full time teacher and provide a stipend for those purchasing a family policy. She says health insurance deductibles will double next year.