Pay Increase Approved for Rockwood Teachers

Classroom educators at Rockwood are receiving a bump in pay after the district’s board of education and teachers union inked a new contract Thursday night.

The new agreement re-defines an existing contract set to expire after the end of the 2014 school year and then extends it for a further two years.

Teachers had previously been scheduled to receive a raise of 2.75 percent for 2013-14, but that has been increased to 3.76 percent (including salary steps). The following years will see similar levels with a 3.74 percent bump for 2014-15 and 3.03 percent for 2015-16.

The raises are based on a salary schedule with several factors, including years of experience, education level and a cost-of-living adjustment.

Rockwood National Education Association (RNEA) President Suzanne Dotta welcomed the board's willingness to re-open talks on the existing contract, saying their membership was “highly appreciative.”

“There is a very real sense that there is a fresh start here,” she told the board Thursday.

The RNEA asked the board to re-open negotiations after the district said it would end the year with far more in its reserves than it had previously been estimated. The agreement was hashed out relatively quickly, with formal negotiations opened on April 25.

Speaking Thursday night, board member Matt Doell said the agreement was a “win-win” for the district, which will soon begin a search for a new superintendent.

“The benefit is that we won’t do this with someone new in the next couple of years,” he said. “It lets us concentrate on the leadership issues that we need to do.

The change to the teacher’s salary schedule follows the board’s approval of a revised administrative pay plan that seeks to raise the average compensation for such personnel.

On average, Rockwood teachers earned $56,701 in 2011-12, placing them about in the middle of the pack for all 22 St. Louis County school districts. District officials said the typical salary of $99,479 for administrators lags much further behind, falling short of the county average by as much as $10,000.

The new agreement, which can be viewed in full online, means the starting salary for a teacher at Rockwood for the 2013-14 school year will be $39,826 while an educator with a Master’s degree can earn as much as $70,631.

The board approved the contract by a vote of 4-0. Board president Bill Brown abstained while board members Darby Jo Arakelian and Jeff Morrell were absent.