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TORONTO -- The Toronto Board of Education Thursday approved a three-year contract for the school district's teachers and other certified non-administrative personnel.
Negotiated with the Toronto Education Association, the contract calls for the staff members to receive a 6 percent raise for the next school year followed by a 2 percent raise in each of the following two years.
The association is headed by Elizabeth Donley, who was aided by others in the negotiations.
Superintendent Maureen Taggart said talks leading to the new contract went smoothly, and she feels the two parties were able to effectively resolve any issues that arose.
The board also approved the renewal of contracts for many personnel for the next school year, including three teachers -- Jennifer Liddick, Haylie Cooper and Emily Kosikowski -- who were hired with funds disbursed to the school district through the American Recovery Plan Act.
Taggart explained school districts were required to use a portion of the federal funds to provide additional instruction in math, reading and other skills that may have lagged when students were receiving virtual instruction.
She said the school system received about $400,000 for staff and materials needed to provide instruction after school and in the summer.
"We still have funds to employ them for another year," Taggart said of the three teachers.
As with the three-year contract for the TEA members, board members Jay Foster, Andy Reeves, Julie Ault and Randy Henry approved one-year contracts for Kosikowski, Cooper and Liddick.
Board member J.J. Liddick abstained from voting for the TEA agreement and the renewal for Jennifer Liddick because she is his wife.
The board also approved the appointment of B.J. Takacs as assistant senior high school basektball coach; and Floyd Thompson to Takacs' former position as freshman basketball coach.
Contracts were renewed for the following high school athletic personnel: Brian Perkins as head baseball coach; Rich Crowe and J.P. Booth as assistant baseball coaches; Steve Trifonoff as head softball coach; Allyson Kuntz and Denise Anderson as assistant softball coaches; Cheyenne Miller as head girls track coach; and Courtney Hatcher as head boys track coach.
Also renewed were Maddie Brown as head boys track coach for the junior high school and Raegan Stead as head girls track coach for the school.
The board's next meeting will be held at 5 p.m. June 15 in the library of the junior-senior high school.