Cedar Rapids board approves teacher raises

CEDAR RAPIDS - At Monday night's board meeting, Cedar Rapids school board members approved a 3.69 percent “total package” increase in pay and benefits for the district's 2012-13 teachers and nurses.

That's just slightly below the Iowa Association of School Boards' statewide average of 3.7 percent.

“We have to remember that we're a district of declining enrollment,” said Susan Clapp, the Cedar Rapids Education Association's incoming president. “We have no new money coming in. Some of the districts around us have total packages that may look larger, but they have new money coming in.”

The increase will add about $3.5 million to the district's personnel expenses. The total cost of all salaries and benefits for teachers and nurses in Cedar Rapids schools will be $100.5 million next year.

Teachers from Monroe Early Childhood School and Polk Elementary, which will close at the end of this academic year, have received staff assignments at new buildings throughout the district.

No teachers were laid off this year. Current teachers union President Tammy Wawro said 25 teachers will retire at the end of the school year, and a handful of teachers have resigned, but there were no layoffs.

Teacher contracts will go out before the end of the school year.