NEW MARKET — South Montgomery Community School Corp. has reached a tentative agreement with the teachers association on a new contract that raises starting pay and offers a higher base salary increase for returning teachers.
The annual contract, which has been ratified by the association and was presented to the school board on Thursday for a public hearing, boosts the starting salary for full-time teachers by $3,000 to $41,300.
The base salary increase for returning teachers is $4,000, up from $1,500 in the previous contract. Teachers who scored highly effective or effective on their latest evaluation and were employed for at least 120 days during the previous school year are eligible.
None of the district’s teachers were rated ineffective or in need of improvement in last year’s evaluations.
The proposed new contract also includes a half-percent increase in the district’s insurance contribution.
The raise in starting pay follows a new state law requiring school districts to try to increase minimum teacher salaries to at least $40,000 by 2022-23. Starting salaries were nearly identical across the county last school year.
Board members are set to vote on the contract during tonight’s regular meeting. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the administration building on the Southmont campus.
