Lawrence school board members gave their official approval Monday night to the agreement that would add $1.2 million to boost teacher salaries.

The agreement was negotiated in August.

“I think both sides worked very hard to figure out what the interests of the other party were and that it resulted in an equitable agreement for both sides,” said Craig Grant, the board’s vice president.

Board members voted 6-0 to approve the agreement, which includes the 3.28 percent raise, with president Linda Robinson absent due to an illness, Grant said.

Lawrence teachers can vote on ratifying the agreement today through Thursday at their schools. Otherwise, negotiations would continue.

But negotiators for the teachers and the board have said they expect it to be ratified. They have also said the agreement was the best one available, particularly on how much to increase salaries because the two sides were more than $1 million apart for several weeks.

Adding two more personal business days for teachers and changes to how professional development can apply toward the salary schedule were other key parts of the deal. They agreed to discuss other issues, like future changes to the district’s early-retirement system and elementary-teacher planning time, during next year’s contract talks.

The proposed salary schedule is based on giving an $850 raise to a salary of $48,850 for a teacher who has earned a master’s degree and 10 more credit hours and has served 14 years or more in the district. The base pay for a first-year teacher who has a bachelor’s degree would be $33,550 – a $1,075 raise from last year’s scale.

Board member Scott Morgan supported the agreement, but he also mentioned favoring a merit-based system, including for difficult to place positions, like in math, science and special education and generally for teachers who excel.

“I would hope that we start that discussion,” Morgan said.

Board members also voted for $494,912 worth of raises and early-retirement costs for classified staff members and $191,362 to fund the same for administrators, except for Superintendent Randy Weseman, whose contract renewal will be discussed in coming weeks, Grant said.

Those are also 3.28 percent raises. With the teachers’ pay increase included, the board approved a total $2.2 million in raising pay.