The board approved the measure by a 5-0 vote at a special meeting April 29. Laura Marsh and Alice Klem were absent. Board President Austin Jones explained that the raises were the best possible scenario given the district's 2009-2010 budget. "As a board, we want to do everything we can for the teachers and staff," Jones said. "Given our tax base, that's what we can afford." District revenues come from local and state taxes, Superintendent Chris Gaines said, and local funding comes primarily from property taxes. However, local construction has slowed and property values are expected to remain static, the county assessor's office indicated last week. For the 2009-2010 school year, the district anticipates being able to meet projected salaries and an increase in the cost of benefits, with $60,000 in new state funding remaining. The remaining $60,000 will be applied to the base salaries of district employees. "The school board decided to put all of estimated new state revenue into salaries and benefits," Gaines said. Base salaries range from $31,459 for a first-year teacher to $58,709 for teachers with master's degrees and 35 years of experience. Less experienced teachers will receive a 2 percent pay increase, while teachers with the most experience and educational qualifications will receive a 2.7 percent bump. Gaines noted that administrators have held frequent meetings with the salary committee representing district employees. "As the year progressed, we communicated with the salary committee so they knew where the numbers were going," Gaines said. Stacy Braendle, local CTA president of the Missouri State Teachers Association, expressed appreciation for the raises. "It has been taken as a gesture of goodwill and good faith on the part of our school board, and it goes a long way in bolstering staff morale," Braendle said. "In these tough economic times with many districts statewide enacting salary freezes and position cuts, it shows a great commitment on the part of the board and district leaders to reward teachers for their diligent effort in bringing the best education possible to our students, and to ensure the retention of those teachers and staff for the benefit of all our community's children."