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Dade Teachers Approve New Contract Which Includes Raises

MIAMI (CBS4) – For the first time in three years, public school teachers in Miami-Dade will be getting a raise.

On Monday they held a vote to ratify a new contract. The agreement passed with 11,074 voting "Yes" and 6,194 voting "No", passing by 64.1%.

"The members of our bargaining unit moved forward this evening. Everyone will get a salary increase, have health insurance in place beginning in January, and have us return to bargaining for the 2013-14 school year in February," said United Teachers of Dade president Karen Aronowitz in a statement.

The last salary increase for teachers was in 2009.

Nearly 75 percent of the $20 million in raises will go to about 8,500 of the county's most experienced, highest paid teachers who would see increases between $1,250 to nearly $11,000.

The county's lowest paid teachers and new teachers will see their salaries increased to $40,000. The rest will see increases of about $300 a year.

On average, the raises would amount to about a three percent increase.

The district's chief of staff, Daniel Tosado, told teachers in an email last Friday they wouldn't move to a higher bracket for health care contributions based on any salary increase. That was a concern for many teachers who feared they would have to pay significantly more for their family's health insurance due to a raise.

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