D-211 Approves Raises For Transportation, Food Service Employees

The District 211 school board approved a 1.5 percent base salary increase last week for about 229 employees.

Associate Superintendent for Business Dave Torres said the raises were approved for nonunion employees in food service, transportation, technology and other  clerical support staff.

The raises will be applied to the fiscal 2011-2012 year which begins in July. Aside from the base salary increase, employees will receive their scheduled "step" salary increase, which Torres said is about 2 percent.

A "step" increase is given automatically as employees accumulate years of experience or reach a threshold, such as additional education.

Although the maximum increase an employee could receive is 3.5 percent, the district anticipates the cost of the raises at 2.7 percent. Torres said the lower cost number is expected because some employees will retire and leave the district.

Torres said the salary increases will cost the district about $165,000.

The raises were approved by the school board last week by a 6-1 vote. School board member Bill Robertson voted against the raises.

Last week the school board also voted 5-2 to . Robertson and Anna Klimkowicz voted against the raises. The amount for those salary increases have not yet been determined.

The school board voted unanimously to link any salary increases for administrators to performance evaluations.

District 211 includes Fremd and Palatine high schools.