St. Cloud District and Teachers Reach Contract Deal

ST. CLOUD - The St. Cloud area school district and its teachers have reached a tentative agreement on a two year contract for this school year and next year.

District 742 and the St. Cloud Education Association (SCEA) made the announcement on Thursday. The terms of the agreement include a 2.25 percent raise this school year, retroactive to the start of the school year.

The second year of the contract (2016-2017) includes a 2.5 percent raise, an 8 percent increase for extracurricular coaches and advisors, increases in longevity pay and a shortened salary schedule.

Mary Broderick is the president of the SCEA, she says they started the bargaining process in August.

"There's several improvements that have been made in pay and also in our terms and conditions of employment that we think makes us a more attractive district for teachers."

The hope is that the move will make District 742 competitive with other districts in the area to recruit and retain qualified teachers.

Teachers will vote on the agreement at their school sites Tuesday. The school board is scheduled to vote on the agreement during their meeting on Thursday, March 31st.