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Lawrence school board members offered the district's 850 teachers a modest raise in pay Wednesday.

Teachers weren't sure what to make of the offer.

"We are very happy about the board's commitment" to increase salaries, said Al Gyles, a math teacher at Free State High School. "Now, the questions become, ‘When and with what money?'"

The board's offer was read aloud during a standing-room-only meeting between negotiation teams representing the teachers and board.

More than 150 teachers attended the 90-minute session at the school district's headquarters.

The offer guarantees teachers a "step increase" -- additional pay based on experience and/or postgraduate hours of education -- for both the current and 2005-06 school years. The raises are generally expected to be between 1.5 percent and 3 percent.

The increase is expected to cost the district almost $1 million -- $470,000 for this year, $507,000 next year.

The offer stipulates:

• If the Legislature increases state aid for schools, most or all of the new money -- no one knows how much or how little will reach the district, if any -- will be used to finance the raises.
• If the Legislature adjourns without increasing aid, the board will carve the $1 million from its 2005-06 budget.

Al Gyles, a Free State High School math teacher, listens to a Lawrence school board presentation about teacher pay raises at the district's main office. The board on Wednesday offered a "step increase" for Lawrence teachers for this year and next based on experience and education. The raises are generally expected to be between 1.5 percent and 3 percent.

"That's a very dangerous thing," said Gyles, lead negotiator for the teachers. "The chances of the Legislature's not addressing the issues that need to be addressed appear to be a very likely proposition, unfortunately. So, then, that would put us in a position of having to take two years' worth of step movement out of one year's budget -- that's a very serious concern."

Because the current school year is two-thirds over, the offer calls for teachers receiving a retroactive, lump-sum payment for 2004-05 soon after July 1, the start of the state's fiscal year.

Lawrence teachers' last pay raise -- 3.5 percent -- took effect in September 2003.

Southwest Junior High teachers Mary lopez, left, and Danielle Lotton-Barker also attended Wednesday's meeting, along with about 150 of the district's 850 teachers.

Last year, the two sides agreed to put off salary negotiations in hopes that lawmakers would be quick in finding additional revenue for schools. But this year's legislative session is now half over and few legislators are predicting a tax increase.

Kansas schools are now in their fourth year without an increase in state aid.

If the teachers accept the board's offer and if the Legislature balks at an increase in state aid, Supt. Randy Weseman said most or all of the $1 million would have to be pulled from next year's budget.

"There's nothing left in this year's budget," he said.

Cutting $1 million for the district's $54 million general fund will not be pain-free.

"The thing you have to remember is that we've been doing this for four years now," Weseman said. "The only thing that's left to cut is people, which is why I call this financial cannibalism."

Nevertheless, raising teachers' salaries remains a top priority for the district, Weseman said.

Negotiators meet again March 9.

Teacher pay raise negotiations begin Draft of offer made by board team (Word document)