ERLANGER — Kenton County teachers will get one of their biggest raises ever next year as the district boosts salaries by 7 percent.

        Most Northern Kentucky districts are increasing teacher pay next year by little more than the 2.2 percent state-mandated minimum. But Kenton County Schools officials say the district's unprecedented hike is an effort to attract and keep teachers in a highly competitive market.

        “We're trying to make up some ground that other districts have gained on us in past years,” said Kenton County's finance officer Kelley Gamble.

BARGAINING

The teachers union and district officials began negotiating salaries for the 2001-02 school year in February.    Kenton County is one of only a dozen districts in Kentucky with bargaining agreements, where teachers and school boards negotiate contracts that include details about job conditions, salaries and benefits. Boone County and Newport Independent Schools are the only other Northern Kentucky districts with such agreements.    Kenton County's union voted on the raise in May, while the school board approved the contract this week, boosting its payroll by $3 million. The district's non-teaching staff will also get a 7 percent increase.

        Teachers in the 12,000-student district applauded the increase as a much-needed step to bring Kenton Countyeven with other area schools.

        “I've been teaching 24 years, and this is the best raise I've ever gotten,” said Dottie Miller, a math teacher at Summit View Middle School and president of the Kenton County Education Association, the district's teachers union. “The money is just icing on the cake. It sends a message to the teachers that "we value you and we support what you're doing.'”

        Kenton County's union voted on the raise in May, while the school board approved the contract this week, boosting its payroll by $3 million. The district's non-teaching staff will also get a 7 percent increase.

        Northern Kentucky schools face more competition for teachers than any other area of the state.

        While most counties have one to two public school districts, Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties have 14 districts within a 13-mile radius. Ohio schools pay an average of $5,500 more a year than Kentucky schools.

        “The job market is so competitive right now that we have to pay or they won't come to work for us,” Mr. Gamble said. “They can drive two miles the other way and work for another school district.”

        The state requires school districts to raise salaries by at least 2.2 percent next year. In addition, teachers get annual increases based on their years of experience.

        While districts keep an eye on what their neighboring schools are paying, many say salaries are not the only drawing card.

        “We've got good facilities, good resources and classroom support,” said Campbell County Schools finance director Mark Vogt. “Wages aren't the whole picture.”

        Campbell County is raising teacher pay by an average of 5 percent next year.

        Kenton County's average salary in 1999-2000 was $36,146, just under the state average of $36,255. The district raised salaries 5 percent last year, but in previous years the increase hovered between 3 and 4 percent, Mr. Gamble said.

        “It looks like we're finally catching up with Boone County,” Mrs. Miller said. “We haven't exactly leveled the playing field, but at least we can say we're catching up.”

Boone's raises
        Boone County Schools, the largest district in Northern Kentucky with 13,000 students, has some of the highest teacher salaries in the state, ranking in the top 20. The district's average salary last year was $37,073.

        Next year, Boone teachers will receive a raise from 4 percent to 6 percent, depending on their years of experience, said Finance Manager Linda Schild.

        “We've still got some work to do, even though it has improved greatly, just so we're comparable to the surrounding area,” said Anita Hacker, a second-grade teacher at R.C. Hinsdale Elementary and vice president of the Kenton County teachers union.

Airport tackles runway safety
$1.4B may not be enough
Ohio justices defy convenient labels
UC tuition will rise by 8% in fall
A boost for home buyers
Cities say rules thwart growth
Clinton visits Dayton to accept peace prize
Cops take it where crime happens
Doctors rally against concealed carry
Dulcimer picked as official Ky. instrument
Fair's touchy about animals
Grand jury will hear Lebanon case
Group moves to scrap city's civil service rules
Hospitals won't get Medicaid raise
Kenton teachers get 7% hike
Low-income housing would be controlled
Nature Conservancy buys more land along palisades
No sex indictment against teacher
Ohio PTA award announced
Outside auditor to watch ballpark
Proposal for video slots at racetracks dies in committee
Protester on trial for fest disruption
Officer Roach trial scheduled for Sept. 17
School gets 2nd inspection
Silverton development group launched
United Way pledges other help
Video store bandits use the same script
Welfare reform spending in danger
Worms sicced on Ky.'s coal scars
Kentucky News Briefs
Tristate A.M. Report