No raise again for Gary teachers
Gary teachers didn’t get a raise, but they will see reduced heath care costs, a small one-time stipend and additional money for good attendance.
The state Distressed Unit Appeal Board approved the contract Thursday. Members of the Gary Teachers Union ratified it Monday, said Gary AFT President GlenEva Dunham.
Emergency manager Peter Morikis told the DUAB it marked the first time in a dozen years that the teachers received a stipend, even though they didn’t get a raise on their base salary.
Dunham said teachers and paraprofessionals will receive a one-time $577 stipend before the end of the year.
They’ll also be eligible for stipends from $500 to $1,000 based on attendance. To receive $1,000, a teacher would need perfect attendance or miss one day.
Morikis said two-thirds of the district’s teachers would not have qualified for the incentive last year.
“We want to improve that,” he said. The district spent about $300,000 for substitute teachers last year, he said.
The district will also pick up 85% of a teacher’s health benefits, up from 80%.
“We were disappointed we didn’t get anything on our base,” said Dunham. She referenced Hammond teachers who she said got about a 2% raise. Earlier this week, Indianapolis Public Schools provided $31.2 million in raises over the next two years, thanks to a 2018 referendum. Starting teacher salaries there improved by $2,600 to $45,200.
Dunham worries that teachers will shun Gary for other districts if salaries don’t stay competitive.
“I think we’re probably the only district in state that didn’t get anything,” she said.
Dunham said the district’s deficit played a role in the lack of raises. “We’re still in that box,” she said.
The lack of salary movement is one of the reasons for the Red for Ed teacher rally Tuesday in Indianapolis during the General Assembly’s Organization Day.
“We hope what we do on Tuesday will raise a lot of eyebrows,” said Dunham, who’s also the state president of the AFT. “Our kids are suffering because of lack of resources,” she said.
More than 100 school districts have canceled school Tuesday so teachers can attend the rally for better pay. So far, Gary hasn’t canceled said Dunham but about 70 teachers will be at the rally, she said.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.