School board amends budget to give teachers additional .25% salary hike

Dickson County teachers will be getting a small pay hike in what could end up being their last chance to negotiate over salary. The school board voted Thursday night to amend its 2012-13 budget to add about $90,000 to the salaries of its certified personnel after agreeing to a quarter percent raise for the final year of the current contract with the Dickson County Education Association. Board Chairman Tim Potter said the amendment will not change the bottom line of the schools budget already passed by the board and the county commission, meaning the additional money likely will come out of the school system’s fund balance. The teachers association has been requesting a quarter percent raise on top of the 2.5 percent salary hike mandated by the Tennessee General Assembly since a Dickson County judge ordered the school board to resume contract negotiations. The current DCEA contract expires next year and changes in state law mean school boards will no longer have to participate in collective bargaining with teachers unions. The DCEA membership is expected to vote on the new contract terms in August. The extra quarter percent will result in about an average of $130 per teacher.