LINDEN — North Montgomery teachers will receive a $5,000 pay raise after the school board approved a tentative agreement with the teachers association.
Superintendent Colleen Moran presented the agreement Monday at the regular school board meeting.
The raise bumps the starting pay for a teacher to $49,000. The maximum an experienced teacher will make is $79,500.
The agreement also includes the school corporation paying the 5% raise in health insurance premiums.
“We needed to make sure we had the numbers to support the raise and the cost of insurance and we do,” Moran said. “I am so happy to be able to do this for our teachers.”
The school board also approved a change in the school calendar that will enable students to observe the total eclipse that will cover the area April 24, 2024. Moran asked to make the day an e-learning day which will include educational materials about the eclipse. Moran said the next scheduled eclipse in the area is 127 years from now.
“This event is historical and I think it would be good to let our students have the e-learning day so they can view it,” Moran said.
Business Director Jim McGee reported that the varsity swim locker rooms and the new wrestling team locker room have been opened to the respective teams. The varsity boys and girls basketball locker rooms should be complete in two weeks, McGee added.
In other business, the board:
• Approved a substitute teacher handbook to be read and signed by all substitute teachers.
• Approved resignations for Merrill Gourley, language arts in the middle school; Tina Rice, food service at Sugar Creek Elementary; Gwenda Fishero, bus driver; and Riley Sanders, Kids Zone assistant at Pleasant Hill Elementary.
• Approved the employment of Jessica Copeland, technology support at the high school; Kaidence Bullock, Kids Zone assistant at Pleasant Hill; DeDe Goves, language arts part-time at the middle school; and Shannon Furr language arts, part-time at the middle school.
• Accepted monetary gifts of $1,000 from Nucor; $1,000 from Tri-County Bank; $1,250 from Hoosier Heartland State Bank; and $4,000 from Indiana Nurseryman.
