With praise and gratitude, the Churchill County School Board approved $915,000 in salary increases to teachers of the Churchill County Education Association.
The 6.1 percent average raise will impact all licensed teachers. It is the first increase for teachers since the 2007-08 school year.
The change is reflected in the master agreement for the 2017-18 school year. The agreement between the Churchill County Education Association and the Churchill County School District was approved by the school board on Aug. 23.
Trustees, Superintendent Dr. Sandra Sheldon and Churchill County Education Association President Elena Marsh all complimented each other on working together to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
They all praised the negotiating as going as smoothly as negotiating can.
Board President Clay Hendrix said that “teachers have suffered,” which is something the board didn’t take lightly in the past, but there just wasn’t the funding to justify raises until this year.
“(In the past) we didn’t have the money,” said Trustee Clerk Matt Hyde. “We worked together to make it happen.”
It was approved 4-0 with three members abstaining because of ties to teachers and having a financial stake in the matter.
The agreement removes the “buckets” that were in previous agreements. The agreement institutes steps every year up to year 25 as long as the teacher continues his or her education. A minimum increase of $600 will take effect with teachers’ first paycheck in September.
The beginning salary for CCSD teachers also increased 10 percent, putting CCSD as the fifth highest starting salary in the state behind Clark County, Carson City, Elko and Eureka. The end salary for teachers with 25 years is the second highest in the state.