Lindbergh Board Approves 2 Percent Pay Increase for Teachers

The Lindbergh Schools Board of Education voted 6-0 on Saturday to approve a 2 percent salary increase for teachers and staff, the school district announced in a press release Monday. Board secretary Don Bee was absent from the vote.

The pay increase will be made possible by 1.25 percent across-the-board reductions to district accounts that do not directly impact learning, according to the release.

Learn more about the pay increase from Lindbergh School District:

Prior to the board’s approval on June 1, teachers voted 3-1 in favor of the salary schedule for 2013-14, and 93 percent in favor of changes to their teacher agreement. LNEA President Michael Kuhn said changes for next year are the result of thoughtful collaboration between teachers and administrators. LNEA is the union that represents Lindbergh teachers in negotiations.

“Throughout our negotiations this year, the LNEA bargaining teams have enjoyed positive, thoughtful collaboration with Lindbergh administrators,” Kuhn said. “The key to collective bargaining is both sides negotiating in good faith, and that’s precisely what happened.”

Dr. Brian McKenney, assistant superintendent of personnel services, said the small cost of living increase will prevent Lindbergh from falling further out of competition with districts that attract top talent such as Parkway, Kirkwood, Rockwood and Webster.

“Right now, we are barely holding 15th place out of 22 county districts,” McKenney said. “One of our top priorities is to do everything we can in the coming years to keep Lindbergh competitive among county district in terms of salaries.”

Board President Dr. Vic Lenz said the Board of Education appreciates the cooperative efforts of Lindbergh teachers and administrators that continue to move the district in a positive direction.

“Lindbergh is fortunate to have a positive working relationship between our teachers and administrators,” he said.  “As board members who are also parents and district residents, we value our teachers and want to provide them with fair compensation for the valuable education and care that they give our students every day throughout the year.”