Educators to receive 2.25 percent salary increase, and benefits increased from 39.5% to 46.5%, minimum starting pay $32,703.
Not bad for working 9 months per year.
The Moscow Education Association and Moscow School District ended months of negotiations Wednesday as they tentatively agreed to a 2.25 percent salary increase for teachers for the upcoming school year. The compromise ends talks that have been ongoing since May.
“We set out every year to find a reasonable settlement and I think we’ve done that, and so the number of times is immaterial that we meet,” MEA lead negotiator Mike Wear said. “It’s the outcome that’s most important and I think we got there.”
Wednesday’s agreement also avoids any deliberations lingering into the school year, which starts Aug. 30.
“That’s always our goal, and it looks like we’ve reached an agreement both parties can be content with,” said Kim Campbell, a spokeswoman for the school district.The salary increase comes out to a total of $219,258 for the district’s 160 teachers. The starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree in the district is currently $32,703, while the maximum salary for a teacher with a master’s degree is $62,475.
Last year, as a collective group, MSD teachers had a combined salary of $8.6 million, while benefits brought that total to nearly $12 million. That number does not include classified employees who work for the district in a non-teaching capacity. Those employees are also expected to get a pay raise during a Moscow School Board meeting Aug. 30.
Each of the district’s teachers is also getting a $51 increase in benefits per month for the upcoming year.
“It’s a fairly significant increase,” Campbell said. “It represents a 7 percent increase and the reason why is because our health insurance costs have gone up.”
Via the Moscow-Pullman Daily News