Columbia Public Schools, teachers agree on teacher salary increase

Columbia Public School teachers will see an increase in their paychecks starting next school year.

Columbia Public Schools officials and the Missouri National Education Association agreed upon a 5.77% average base salary increase Friday evening during a second collective bargaining session.

The base salary for CPS teachers will now start at $32,115, which is an increase of $1,601.

CMNEA originally asked for a $1,700 increase. However, the group said it’s happy with the collective bargaining outcomes.

“A teacher’s working conditions is a student’s learning conditions,” said Mary Grupe, a Learning Specialist at Rock Bridge High School. “So as we bargain the working conditions for each teacher, we’re really bargaining the learning conditions for each one of our students.”

Negotiations were put on hold between the two parties until after the elections in early April.

31 cents of the 65 cent tax levy that passed during the election will contribute revenue for the salary increase.

Grupe said this will help attract and retain highly qualified teachers to Columbia.

“Increasing the compensation package will bring people who aren’t already aware of the rarity that is Columbia, Missouri, it will bring them here,” she said. “I think it keep the teachers that are dedicated to our students and are qualified, it will keep them here. That’s what we want.”

Deputy Superintendent Dana Clippard said there hasn’t been an increase in the base and minimum salary for teachers in the district since 2007.

“We’ve listened genuinely to the concerns and priorities of our most significant in size employee group and we’ve responded,” she said.

Clippard said many other items other than teacher compensation were discussed during the bargaining process for the entire contract.

“It’s the combination of a long season where both teams were dedicated to change the tone, change the process and yield a positive outcome.”

CMNEA will now take the contract to its members for a vote. The Board of Education is likely to vote on the contract before the end of the school year.

The contract will go into effect at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year and will last until 2019.