Per state law, Portage school board gets first pay raise in decades

The Portage Township School Board gave itself pay raises Monday in keeping with a new state law.

Board Vice President Wilma Vazquez said she believes the previous $2,000 annual salary had been the same for several decades.

With the new law, board members can be paid one-tenth of the previous year’s salary for the lowest-paid teacher in the district. Boards need to pass a resolution to that effect to get the new rate.

“It’s always been set by the state,” board President Andy Maletta said. With the resolution, the rate will be updated annually, he said.

The board also signed a memorandum of understanding with Sleep in Heavenly Peace to build bed parts for the nonprofit. The agreement allows the group access to Portage High School on build days for the career and technical education stude