The Pickerington teacher’s union and the Pickerington board of education have agreed to a 3 percent pay raise for all of the district’s teachers.
Salaries vary depending on education completed and years of experience. The pay rate for a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree is now $35,105.
"I think the 3 percent raise is fair given the inflation rate," board member Lisa Reade said.
"Negotiations were two days, but there was a lot of ground work and preparation done by both sides ahead of time on specific issues/articles, contract language, supplementals, etc.," Reade said. "When we got to the bargaining dates, many items that usually made negotiations longer were already out of the way so we could focus on the big issues – money and insurance."
The teachers will now pay more for their insurance.
The changes to salary and insurance became effective beginning July 1, district treasurer Dan Griscom said.
In other business, the school board held a special meeting on July 28 to approve a contractor to build additional tennis courts at Pickerington Central.
The board awarded the construction to Strawser Paving, who submitted the lowest bid at $299,490.
