The Gary Community School Corporation is looking to give its teachers a pay raise.
The proposed teacher contract would raise the starting salary to $49,885.96. Returning teachers rated "effective" or "highly effective" would get a 2.5-percent salary increase, along with a chance to get up to $7,150 in stipends for retention, attendance and performance.
Corporation manager Dr. Paige McNulty says she's optimistic that the school corporation and the Gary Teachers Union will ratify the contract next week. "This tentative agreement strikes a balance between the compensation of our hard-working teachers that deserve this raise and insuring that Gary Community Schools continues to be fiscally responsible," McNulty said during a public hearing Friday.
The proposed contract also includes a retirement incentive of up to $22,000 for teachers over the age of 60 who've been with Gary schools for at least 10 years.
