Kirkwood board approves salary and benefits increase

CEDAR RAPIDS - Kirkwood Community College faculty and staff will see a 3.49 percent increase to their salary and benefits next year, after it was approved by the college board of trustees Thursday.

The salary increase for faculty and staff for 2011-12 is 2 percent, but an increase to benefits and an increase by the college to employees' IPERS contributions – required by the state - boosts the total package increase to 3.49 percent, Kirkwood President Mick Starcevich said Friday.

The increase will cover Kirkwood's 300 faculty and about 550 staff, he said. The total cost of the salary and benefits increase to the college is less than $2 million, Starcevich said.

Also on Thursday, the board of trustees approved the low bid of $707,000 for the Jones Hall Energy Training Center addition. The low base bid came from Portzen Construction of Dubuque.

The board also approved the erection of a wind turbine generator on campus and associated site preparation, and authorized the publishing of notice to bidders and set July 14 for public hearing on the project.