After more than seven months of negotiations, the Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City School Board and the teachers’ union approved an agreement for the 2007-2009 school years. The two-year contract gives teachers a 0.8 percent increase in salary the first year and a 1.2 percent salary increase in the second year.

The teachers, who had three days to cast a vote as stated in union bylaws, voted Thursday, Friday and Monday, approving the School Board’s latest offer by a vote of 54-9. ACGC School Board members unanimously approved the master agreement at their meeting Monday night.

The overall increase with benefits is a 4.725 percent increase for the two years. The overall state average for teacher salary increases is 6.59 percent, according to the Minnesota School Boards Association Web site. The average teacher salary increase for outstate teachers is slightly lower at 6.23 percent for school districts with 51 to 75 teachers. ACGC has 61.5 part-time and full-time teachers.