Jordan freezes teacher pay for third year in a row

The Jordan Board of Education unanimously voted Tuesday night to adopt a 2010-11 budget that freezes teachers' wages for the third straight year while not raising taxes or increasing classroom size.

"The board is very well aware the budget decisions we are making will affect the lives of many people," board President Peggy Jo Kennett said during the budget hearing. "We do not make these decisions lightly."

The board had to resolve a $29.1 million budget shortfall. In early May, the board approved a $17.5 million cut to programs, resulting in a reduction of 190 classified, or nonteaching, staff. Aides and support staff already have begun receiving notification of their termination. The May cuts make for a total of 392 nonteaching positions eliminated since the school year began. The Deseret News