May 10--St. Charles School District 303 board members and the district teacher's union have approved a three-year contract that is set to go into effect this summer.
The contract includes average raises of 3 percent in each year of the contract. Those raises are up from the 2.8 percent average annual raises in the expiring contract, according to the school district.
"This is a fair agreement that meets the needs of both the community as a whole and the teachers in our classrooms," School Board President Steve Spurling said in a statement. "We always seek a balance between fiscal responsibility and a rate of teacher compensation that allows District 303 to stay competitive with other high-performing districts in our area. This contract achieves both of those objectives."
The contract was approved by St. Charles Education Association members May 3, according to the district.
"We place a high value on the continuation of the positive relationship between the (St. Charles Education Association) and the board of education," union president Joe Blomquist said in the statement. "We also appreciate the respect demonstrated in our community toward the work our teachers do every day in the classrooms of District 303."
The current contract expires at the end of the school year, according to the school district. The new contract will go into effect in August, and run through the 2018-19 school year.
