Teachers in the Vicksburg Warren School District wondering about contracts for the 2012-13 school year can expect them Aug. 1, the superintendent said Monday.

“We have had about a dozen people call, wondering, ‘Why didn’t I get a contract?’” Dr. Elizabeth Swinford said.

Emails advising certified staff of the delay were sent June 11 and Monday — along with news of a pay increase — but not everyone has seen them, she said.

“If the principal did not have a conversation with them about not being reappointed, they are returning,” Swinford said.

Teachers and other certified staff were approved for reappointment by the VWSD Board of Trustees in April, but contracts were not issued at the time because she was proposing across-the-board pay increases and wanted next year’s contract to reflect the new salaries, she said.

Swinford called the raises “well-deserved,” adding, “It really amounted to a cost-of-living increase but we had not increased our salaries in many years and wanted to do that for our employees.”

About 575 teachers are employed by the district, Swinford said.

The board approved the new pay schedule at its May 31 business meeting, but the district then ran into a timing issue, since the last day of school was May 25. State law mandates that contracts be signed and returned within 10 days.

“I was concerned that some teachers would be on vacation and would not be able to return their contract in the 10 days,” Swinford said.

Teacher salaries are determined by the state, with supplements set by individual school districts. For teachers with a Class A license, the VWSD supplement will jump from $2,200 to $2,700; Class AA, from $2,700 to $3,400; and Class AAA and Class AAAA, from $3,700 to $4,500.

Step increases also are awarded each year up to 35 years of experience.