NAPLES, Fla. — After months of bargaining, the Collier County's Education Association and School District have reached an agreement on teacher pay.
Ken Mouton is the CCEA president.
"Our school district, in my opinion, they showed respect," he said after Monday night's bargaining meeting.
Pam Baldwin is the vice president. She says after meeting since the summer she feels relieved.
"It's hard going back and forth when in the end all we want is for our teachers to be treated fairly, to get a livable wage, to be able to live in the district, and to be rewarded for a job well done," she said.
Darren Burkett is the deputy superintendent. He says this new agreement will bring up the base pay to $57,000 for teachers.
"We were able to increase the new teacher salary by just a little over $3,000," Burkett said.
These are numbers both sides feel compensates teachers for their work and veteran teachers will see a bump as well.
"In addition to that for our veteran teachers there's a range anywhere from $6,000 to $7,000," he said.
Teachers could see this raise as soon as November 1. It must be ratified and will be added to the October 8 school board meeting agenda.
"When you survey teachers you ask them about the morale and the culture. When you go that extra step, to find out how teachers feel and then you show love for them in the salary, that will go a long way this year," Mouton said.
