Knox teachers wouldn’t get a formal salary increase but many would get a stipend, under the school corporation’s proposed teacher contract.
Superintendent Dr. William Reichhart says the school board held a hearing on the tentative agreement Tuesday. “Because of the uncertainty of the budget with the drop of enrollment that we’ve experienced with COVID-19 going on, not knowing what the state legislature is going to do come January, we felt it was best to be conservative as we planned next year’s budget and so there’s not a lot of room in there for raises at this time,” Reichhart explains.
Instead, teachers rated “effective” or “highly-effective” would get a one-time stipend of $1,000 in December. Teachers of AP or dual-credit courses would also get $1,000. Reichhart says the contract would also include some minor changes to extracurricular positions.
He adds that no teachers or members of the public offered any comments during Tuesday’s hearing, but the school board members expressed their appreciation for teachers’ response to the pandemic. “It was also pointed out that it’s not just the teachers who are putting in the extra effort but also the bus drivers, all the aides, all of our lunch staff, and custodians, and it’s a total team effort from everyone, as we tackle this COVID-19 thing,” Reichhart says.
He notes that 56 students are planning to switch from virtual to in-person learning for the second nine weeks.
Now, the Knox Federation of Teachers’ 75 members will have a chance to vote on the contract, before it goes back to the school board for final approval on October 19.
