Cerro Gordo Reaches Bargaining Agreement With Teaching Staff

By CHRISTY JANKOWSKI
Staff Writer

On August 5, the Cerro Gordo School Board held a special meeting finalizing a four year bargaining agreement with their teaching staff. In the agreement, a graduated raise of 4.98 percent starting 2020-21 School year.

Union President, Frankie Martin, stated the district added more incentive for teachers to expand their education with tuition reimbursements. The tuition reimbursement is $150 per credit hour.

The contract states “A teacher may apply for tuition reimbursement for coursework offerd through an accredited, non-profit, brick and motar University that is pre-approved by the Superintendent.” The contract goes on to state that classes must be in the area of teaching for that particular teacher. There is a limit of 12 semester hours that can be taken between June 1 and May 31. To obtain the reimbursement the teacher must obtain a B or higher.

Martin stated, “It gives a big incentive to continue with education.”

The graduated percentage for raises looks like this according to Martin: 4.98 percent for the first year, 4.98 for the second year, 4.89 for the third year, and 3.99 for the fourth year.