Wichita teachers vote to accept contract

Wichita teachers have overwhelmingly approved a tentative contract that includes the first raise for teachers in four years, union officials announced Monday.

Of the 2,626 votes returned to the United Teachers of Wichita office – about two-thirds of the district’s 4,000 teachers – 88 percent voted to accept the contract.

The Wichita school board will vote on the agreement Monday night.

District and union officials announced terms of the tentative one-year contract last month. Highlights include:

Superintendent John Allison said the agreement amounts to a 4 percent increase in salary, benefits and reduced work time. Its price tag – about $8.6 million – has already been factored into the district’s budget, which school board members will discuss during their meeting Monday night.

Union president Randy Mousley said teachers “accepted it, but a little grudgingly. … Of course, everyone wishes it could have been more.”

Mousley said the somewhat low turnout on the contract vote shows that teachers are “happy about the 1 percent, steps and tracks, and longevity.

“But they’ve sacrificed a lot and their families have sacrificed a lot in the last four years,” he said. “They’ve kept doing an outstanding job. Test scores have been increasing, and they’ve stayed with it.”

This story was originally published August 13, 2012 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Wichita teachers vote to accept contract."