Raises ahead for Norman, Moore teachers

By M. Scott Carter

MOORE -- Despite the state's "standstill" budget, school teachers in Moore and Norman should see small pay increases this year, under new contracts being examined now by school board officials.

In Moore, school administrators and the Moore Association of Classroom Teachers recently approved a new contract to increase teachers' salaries by about $400 per teacher in the district. That raise also includes the teacher's step increase.

Moore's contract will cover almost 1,500 teachers in the district.

Earlier this month, those teachers endorsed the contract with a 97 percent "yes" vote; members of the Moore school board approved the contract unanimously.

"Last year we averaged about $1,000, and the year before that about $1,200," said MACT president Jill Dudley. "This year was more difficult. This year, we all had to scrape what we could out of carryover funds we had left."

Under the terms of the new contract, Dudley said every returning teacher would move to the next pay level of experience. "The more years experience, the higher the step increase," she said. Along with the step increase, each teacher's base pay would rise by about $400 over last year's salary.

"We asked for a little bit more than our neighbors got this year," she said.

For a beginning teacher -- one with a bachelor's degree -- the district's new contract would push salaries to $34,100. Teachers with several years experience will see an additional $1,000 in their annual pay. Teachers with more than 30 years experience will have their pay increase by $1,800 annually.

Additionally, Dudley said teachers involved in extracurricular activities will see higher supplemental pay.

Vocal music teachers, she said, would see about $7,000 per year in supplemental pay, while teachers participating in youth in government activities would have their salaries increased by $1,200. Some district athletic coaches will receive close to $10,000 per year in supplemental pay.

With the district's student population increasing, Dudley said MACT officials also agreed to an additional year's exemption on class size. Moore is one of only two districts in the state which write class size into their teacher's contracts.

"Last year we gave the district an exemption in the K-3 class size, to 22 students," she said. "And it was certainly the association's and the district's intention that exemption be for one year only, then return to a lower class size."

However, the district's growth this year forced union officials and administrators to keep the exemption in place.

"In July, when we took stock of what summer enrollment was, the growth was astronomical," Dudley said. "And while the district was willing, physically they don't have the classrooms to put the students in. We already have teachers teaching in hallways, teachers' workrooms and big closets."

Under the contract, the district would be allowed to put 22 students per class in kindergarten through third grade. Class sizes in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades would not change, but teachers in grades seven through 12 would have up to 145 students per day.

"We've stuck people wherever we can place them," Dudley said. "We've brought in portables. We're looking at probably 600 new elementary students and close to 200 new secondary students. So (that's) why we agreed it was going to be necessary to extend that exemption for one more year.

The story is similar in Norman.

This week, Teresa Payne, president of the Professional Educators of Norman, said a tentative agreement would include a $500 increase for teachers, plus their step increase. "I think it's a good contract," she said. "I think the teachers will appreciate it."

Norman teachers are expected to vote on their agreement Thursday; school administrators say they will review the contract early in September.

Norman's contract will cover more than 1,000 teachers in the district.

"I'm hesitant to comment on actual terms of the agreement until the teachers look at it," Norman superintendent Dr. Joe Siano said. "But I will say I think it's a very good compensation package -- especially under circumstances of limited state funding. I don't foresee any problems with either group approving it."

Though teachers and administrators across the county praised the agreements, rising health insurance costs could offset those pay increases.

"Our health benefits stay the same," Dudley said. "But we do expect to see an increase in health care premiums when the Oklahoma State Education Employees Group Insurance Board meets," she said. "There will probably be an increase in dependent coverage."

Yet even with increases in class size and rising health costs, both sides said the agreements were better than those in other districts.

"I feel it's pretty good," Dudley said. "In other districts, people were settling for much less. Overall we're pretty pleased; we're sorry about the class size thing, but that's just the reality of the situation."

M. Scott Carter 366-3545 scarter@normantranscript.com