As financial conditions of Denair Unified School District continue to improve, the Board of Trustees made it clear Thursday that they are determined to restore every salary that was cut nearly four years ago after they unanimously approved a 2.2 percent pay increase for hourly Denair Charter Academy teachers — an amount that was deemed equivalent to restorations awarded to all certificated employees in May and November.

“We knew that you were holding steadfast to your desire to see that everybody was restored so this is part of that,” Superintendent Aaron Rosander told Trustees Thursday evening.

Thursday’s approval comes less than one month after Trustees approved a 4 percent salary restoration for certificated, administrative, management and confidential employees, which was retroactive to July 1, 2016. Taking into account the 1 percent salary restoration that was approved in May, this brought the total salary restoration for these employees groups to 5 percent out of the 8 percent that was reduced when DUSD was on the verge of a State takeover in 2013.

“Last month I had the pleasure of recommending a 4 percent restoration for our certificated teachers,” said Chief Business Officer Linda Covello. “It was then brought to my attention that our hourly certificated teachers also took a pay cut previously.”

Covello said that at a January Board meeting in 2013, Trustees approved a 3.5 percent salary reduction for hourly certificated employees, which brought their hourly wage down from $42.50 to $41.01 per hour.

The 2.2 percent salary restoration approved Thursday for hourly certificated employees will bring their hourly wage up from $41.01 to $41.94 per hour, retroactive to July 1, 2016. This restoration — which Covello said is equivalent to the restoration given thus far to certificated, administrative, management and confidential employees — will have a financial impact of $8,863 this year.

“Our certificated staff originally took an 8 percent reduction and they’ve been restored 5 percent, so with a 3.5 percent reduction on our hourly, I wanted to recommend a 2.2 percent, which is the equivalent,” said Covello.