The Greene County School Board met in special session earlier this week to present its counter contract proposal to the Greene County Education Association.

The Board chose to not give an increase in base pay for the next school year, but instead allow for an incentive for teachers when they return their signed contracts. According to Superintendent Brett Abbotts, teachers that sign their contracts and submit them within the first through seven days that they are issued, would receive an additional, one-time payment of $1,250. Teachers that return their signed contracts within days 8-14 would get $1,000 and any teacher that turns in their signed contract between days 15 and 21 of when they were issued, would get $750. 

Abbotts said if all teachers return their signed contracts within that first seven day time period, the total cost to the district would be $339,346 for a 4.2-percent increase. The Board’s proposal would also keep the same base salary as it currently is at $33,350. 

The GCEA made its initial offer to the Board at their regular February meeting on February 15th. They proposed to increase the base salary to $34,900 for a total of six-percent increase in cost to the district of $500,459.

Abbotts said the two sides will continue to meet with the hope of having the completed agreement ratified by GCEA and the Board to approve it by their upcoming March meeting.