Cost-of-living increase for certain public education employees; salary schedules for two-year postsecondary institutions; miscellaneous pay provisions.

(a) The State Budget Officer shall allocate to the State Board of Education, the Board of Trustees of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, the Board of Youth Services Department District, the Alabama School of Fine Arts, and the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science, for disbursement to the employees thereof funds based on the following criteria. It is not the intent of the Legislature to make an appropriation in this section.

(1) KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 12 (K-12). An eight and one-half percent salary increase shall be given to each teacher employed in all public school programs for the fiscal year 1994-95 over and above the salary received during the 1993-94 fiscal year. An eight and one-half percent salary increase shall be given to each public education support worker employed for the fiscal year 1994-95 over and above the total salary received during the 1993-94 fiscal year, excepting employees covered under the state Merit System at the Department of Youth Services District.

(2) ALABAMA INSTITUTE FOR DEAF AND BLIND. An eight and one-half percent salary increase shall be given to each person employed by the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind for the fiscal year 1994-95 over and above the salary received during the 1993-94 fiscal year.

(3) POSTSECONDARY. All salary schedules of the two-year postsecondary institutions shall be revised by the State Board of Education to reflect a salary increase of eight and one-half percent. The eight and one-half percent salary increase shall be given to each person employed for the fiscal year in addition to any step increase to which the employee is otherwise entitled. The Postsecondary Education Department shall take proper steps to ensure that employees on all salary schedules are given full credit for prior work experience in the public schools and colleges in Alabama, and shall take care to ensure proper placements on the salary schedules. Those employees entitled to credit for prior work experience in the public schools and colleges of Alabama as previously required by Acts 85-796, 88-691, 90-325, and 93-646 who have not been granted the credit on the salary schedules shall be provided backpay if the credit has not been provided.

(b) The following provisions are hereby established.

(1) All of the salary increases which are established by the Legislature or authorized by the State Board of Education, shall be paid in full to each person employed before the end of the applicable fiscal year as defined in Section 16-1-1.

(2) Salary increases mandated by the Legislature or authorized by the State Board of Education for county and city boards of education shall be understood to apply to employees with contracts of up to 180 days. Additional pro rata salary increments shall be granted to those employees whose contracts extend beyond 180 days.

(3) The salary increase contained throughout any pay raise act as passed by the Legislature or authorized by the State Board of Education shall be exclusive of all local increments due.

(4) No employee shall be dismissed or have his or her work hours or salary reduced due to the provisions of any pay raise act mandated by the Legislature or authorized by the State Board of Education.

(5) Each city and county board of education shall establish and maintain a written salary schedule for each class and type of employee.

(6) Any person employed by any city or county board of education, the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, the Youth Services Department District, the Alabama School of Fine Arts, or the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science who holds an earned doctorate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning shall be entitled to a pay provision of one thousand dollars ($1,000) per fiscal year for the earned doctorate degree. This provision shall remain in effect from year to year for those employees who from time to time receive earned doctorate degrees from accredited institutions of higher learning.

(7) All education support personnel salary schedules in the city and county school systems, the Youth Services Department District, the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, the Alabama School of Fine Arts, and the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science, shall be revised to reflect at least an eight and one-half percent raise for all steps, but in no case shall this revision be less than one thousand dollars ($1,000). At least one thousand dollars ($1,000) shall be given to each full-time person employed and to all adult bus drivers.

(8) Funds contained in the annual education appropriations act for the public schools for cafeteria personnel salaries shall be used only for that purpose. Cafeteria operating funds shall not be used for salary increases thereby supplanting those funds provided by the Legislature's appropriations for cafeteria employee salaries.

(Acts 1994, No. 94-474, p. 785, §§1, 2; Acts 1995, No. 95-255, p. 427, §1.)