By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Monday's USD 428 Board of Education meeting stretched nearly five hours. A large chunk of that time was spent in executive session hashing out the final details of next year's labor agreement with certified staff. Superintendent Khris Thexton said the final product is more pay for Great Bend teachers.
"For teachers, it's $1,800 to the base," he said. "So every cell gets $1,800, plus movement horizontal and vertical, so they get their movement for years of experience and education. There's a retention bonus for $1,500. It's for people who finished this year with us and will start the next."
The agreement means Great Bend teachers and administrators will now receive a base pay of $46,000 to $87,000 based on experience and education. Federal ESSER money will be used to pay the $1,500 retention bonus given to returning employees. District administrators and directors will receive a $2,200 increase to base pay and the $1,500 retention pay.
The agreement signed Monday also finalizes a bi-monthly payroll for all district employees. Sixty-four percent of surveyed certified staff in the district preferred the bi-monthly payroll over being paid monthly. District employees will now be paid on the 11th and 25th of each month.