White Plains CitizeNetReporter - White Plains Teachers Will Receive a 3% Raise Across the Board

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. From Jerry Gorski. February 3, 2003: The President of the White Plains Teachers Association, Jerry Gorski reported to WPCNR today that the amount of the pay increase negotiated with the White Plains City School District for a new one-year interim contract running from July, 2003 through June 2004 will be 3% at all salary levels "across the board."

A first-year White Plains Teacher currently starts at $42,712 plus benefits. Teachers coming on board in 2004 will start at 3% more: $43,993, according to Gorski. The most highly paid teacher level, which is paid to Ph.d degreed teachers with 20 years of experience is $107,011 and will rise to $110,221. Mr. Gorski could not say offhand how many teachers were at that highest level.

The median salary for White Plains teachers, according to Mr. Gorski is $76,308. He reports that in the last five years, over 200 new teachers have joined the faculty, district-wide. White Plains currently employs 632 teachers. Gorski said that if you count this year's new hires (82), slightly less than half had been with the district less than five years.

He speculated that with retirements announced this month, the district overall salary level might not automatically increase 3%. In the current budget year, White Plains School District has budgeted $76,692,311 towards salaries out of a total budget of $126.9 Million. Of that $76.7 Million, $51,233, 643 is paid to certified teachers. A 3% raise would mean roughly increasing the budget for teacher salaries 1.5 Million.

Gorski said the new contract would be voted on perhaps in late June, and the teachers he has talked to, circulating at lunch hours throughout the district are "very positive about it."


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