BY ANDY TAYLOR
chronicle@taylornews.org

CHERRYVALE — The USD 447 Board of Education on Monday night voted unanimously to settle a salary dispute with the Cherryvale Teachers’ Association.

Board members voted to grant a 4.4 percent increase to the base salary of school teachers for the 2009-10 school year. That 4.4 percent increase comes on the heels of a 3 percent increase that was granted to school teachers for the 2008-09 school year.

The new base salary for first-year teachers in the 2009-10 school year will be $35,640. The highest base salary for the most-veteran USD 447 teacher will be $58,176.

That 4.4 percent pay hike represents a total increase of $118,000 for teachers’ salaries in the 2009-10 school year.

The Cherryvale Teachers Association in October filed a lawsuit in 14th District Judicial Court claiming the USD 447 board had violated its contract by not granting the agreed-upon salary for 2009-10. The CTA contended that a 4 percent increase to the total salary pool, which includes base salary plus supplemental duty compensation (coaches, club sponsorships, etc.) was agreed upon for 2009-10. The USD 447 board rebuffed the argument, saying it agreed to a 4 percent increase to the base salary for the 2009-10 school year.

Superintendent Randy Wagoner said the CTA membership approved the settlement during a meeting last week. Of the more than 55 faculty members, only four voted against it, Wagoner said.

Wagoner also said he believed the board’s decision on Monday would end the lawsuit between the USD 447 board and CTA.