Lawrence school teachers accepted a new contract adding 5 percent to their salary and benefits, district officials said Tuesday.

The school board last month approved the deal for 2002-2003, which raised the district’s contribution to employee health insurance coverage and added money to the salary pool.

“I’m very pleased that it was ratified and we can move forward,” said Mary Rodriguez, the district’s director of human resources.

Lawrence Education Assn., the union representing the district’s 900 certified staff, coordinated mail balloting by teachers, librarians and counselors during a two-week period.

LEA President Wayne Kruse said the rank-and-file was “nearly unanimous” in support of the contract.

“I think everyone was so surprised in the end we were able to do anything,” he said.

He said the state’s budget problems contributed to a feeling that local school teachers wouldn’t be able to get a raise this year.

The Lawrence school board secured funding for the new contract through job elimination and program downsizing. In addition, about $900,000 in new student fees were adopted to bolster revenue.

Last year, district teachers approved a 4.7 percent increase in overall compensation. The previous year’s contract pumped 3.3 percent more into wages and benefits.

Rodriguez said the district had to offer teachers a good contract or risk losing large numbers of experienced teachers to other districts. As it is, she said, at least five veteran educators took teaching jobs elsewhere.

“It’s an easy commute to get more money,” she said.

The new contract brings the district’s maximum teacher salary to $50,598. The starting wage for novice teachers climbed to $26,780.

Supt. Randy Weseman said his goal was to bring the district’s average teacher salary into the top 10 in the state. Currently, Lawrence ranks 151st among 303 districts in Kansas.

The board has yet to release details of Weseman’s compensation adjustments.

Classified staff, including janitors, paraprofessionals and cooks, as well as the district’s administrators, will receive a 5 percent across-the-board raise.