BEATRICE – A new agreement with teachers in the Beatrice Public Schools has been reached.
An agreement finalized was announced at a Monday night committee level meeting of the board.
Superintendent Jason Alexander says it moves the base salary for a teacher in the district up one thousand dollars, to $39,475.


"I anticipitate that will bump us up a little bit in the 98-to-102-percent array that we have to fit in. So, I think we're going to be very close to the 100-percent or just above, in comparison to our array schools. That's remaining with a twelve hundred dollar deductible insurance package. There are five other schools that do something different than that insurance package. Those are really the two biggest ticket items."


No changes were made to the overall salary schedule and an option for teachers to donate to a sick leave bank for colleagues remains.


"Several changes were made to the extra-duty salary schedule. That determines how we pay coaches and professional learning community leaders...all those different things."


School Board member Doris Martin said negotiations went smoothly.  "They wanted things...we came back with an offer...it just worked really well. I was pleased this year. We were professional about it. They came knowing they weren't going to get everything and we knew we weren't going to get everything."


The Beatrice School Board will consider formal approval of the agreement between BPS and the Beatrice Education Association, at the board’s regular meeting in March.


Also at Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jackie Nielsen brought the proposed selection of a company before the board for a new Kindergarten through Fifth Grade reading curriculum. The board will be asked to finalize that purchase next month, at a total cost of $272,597.
The district uses a seven year period for reading curriculum before renewing or choosing a new provider.