The Geary USD 475 Board of Education has approved the 2015-16 teaching contracts for the school district.

Approval came on a 5-0 vote Thursday at the Devin Center. It brings an end to a lengthy contract impasse.

The new deal includes an average pay raise of 7.32%, with Superintendent Corbin Witt confirming those raises would range from about 2.4% to 19%, with approximately two-million dollars in total new funding overall.  He called the settlement good news. ” So I think we’re all excited to move past this, and I’m excited that the teachers are going to get their retroactive pay and their new pay before Christmas starts so that’s something to look forward to and will make everybody happy.” Witt added teachers will get two seperate checks. One will have their retroactive pay through this point, and the other their new check with their new monthly rate.

Up until now while there was an impasse, the teachers have been working under the contract that was in effect the last school year.

Teachers in the district voted earlier this week to ratify the contracts.