The Lake County School Board has approved a $1 million compensation package that includes a 2 percent raise for the district’s classified employees, including bus drivers, food service workers, and custodians.

The package was part of an agreement reached between Lake County Schools and the SEIU, the union that represents classified employees. The agreement was ratified Monday, Nov. 16, and approved by the School Board in a special meeting Tuesday night, Nov. 17.

Along with the 2 percent pay increase, the agreement also stipulates that the School Board and SEIU will conduct a study through a joint wage committee to examine the current classified pay rates by position. The parties will revisit compensation after February.

The board on Tuesday also approved 2 percent pay raises for non-bargaining, non-instructional employees and for professional/managerial employees, groups not covered by collective bargaining.

Teacher salary increases were approved in September, with a $7.2 million package that boosted the minimum base salary for full-time classroom teachers and certified pre-kindergarten teachers to $44,750 from $40,400 and increased the base salary of all other full-time instructional personnel and pre-kindergarten teachers.

All full-time instructional personnel who had a base salary between $44,750 and $47,499.99 received a 1% increase.  All full-time instructional personnel with a current base salary between $47,500 and $50,999  received a 1.5% increase. All full-time instructional personnel, including all pre-k teachers, with a base salary of $51,000 or above received a 2% increase.