Knox school employees are getting a pay raise. Earlier this month, the school board approved a base salary increase for teachers. Last week, board members did the same for the rest of the staff.
“The superintendent recommends that all eligible Knox Community School Corporation employees will receive a 2.5-percent increase in their base salary,” School Board President Gary Dulin explained, “with exceptions of teachers who have already received their increase.” The recommended raise was approved unanimously.
Meanwhile, the school board also approved the Teacher Appreciation Grant distribution for the 2018-2019 school year. Teachers rated “effective” will get an extra $363.94, while highly-effective-rated teachers will receive $454.92. That’s a decrease from last year. Superintendent Dr. William Reichhart reminded board members that money comes from a state grant, not from school corporation funds.
Board member Kirk Bennett commented on the raises, thanking the teachers for their work and support. “Thank goodness we’re able to give them a raise,” he said. “And I say that because it’s nice that we were able to give them a raise without a lot of pressure. I’ve been on the board 10-and-a-half years and we’ve had some tough times throughout there, and I can honestly say, even through all those things, I’ve never, ever had a teacher or anyone approach me saying, ‘Why don’t we get more money?’ And, you know? They deserve it.”
Each teacher saw a base salary increase of $1,168, as part of the 2018-2019 master contract.
