"We've stuck people wherever we can place them," Dudley said. "We've brought in portables. We're looking at probably 600 new elementary students and close to 200 new secondary students. So (that's) why we agreed it was going to be necessary to extend that exemption for one more year.

The story is similar in Norman.

This week, Teresa Payne, president of the Professional Educators of Norman, said a tentative agreement would include a $500 increase for teachers, plus their step increase. "I think it's a good contract," she said. "I think the teachers will appreciate it."

Norman teachers are expected to vote on their agreement Thursday; school administrators say they will review the contract early in September.

Norman's contract will cover more than 1,000 teachers in the district.

"I'm hesitant to comment on actual terms of the agreement until the teachers look at it," Norman superintendent Dr. Joe Siano said. "But I will say I think it's a very good compensation package -- especially under circumstances of limited state funding. I don't foresee any problems with either group approving it."

Though teachers and administrators across the county praised the agreements, rising health insurance costs could offset those pay increases.

"Our health benefits stay the same," Dudley said. "But we do expect to see an increase in health care premiums when the Oklahoma State Education Employees Group Insurance Board meets," she said. "There will probably be an increase in dependent coverage."

Yet even with increases in class size and rising health costs, both sides said the agreements were better than those in other districts.

"I feel it's pretty good," Dudley said. "In other districts, people were settling for much less. Overall we're pretty pleased; we're sorry about the class size thing, but that's just the reality of the situation."

M. Scott Carter 366-3545 scarter@normantranscript.com