(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 1142,¹ the minimum salary paid to full-time teachers for the school term 1988-1989 and each school term thereafter, shall be eighteen thousand five hundred dollars ($18,500) as provided in this section.

(b) This section shall not require, and shall not be construed to require, the modification, renegotiation or reopening of any contract or agreement in effect on the effective date of this section between a public employer and a public employe or employe organization pursuant to the act of July 23, 1970 (P.L. 563, No. 195), known as the “Public Employe Relations Act,”² nor shall the salary or any other terms of any such contract or agreement be superseded or modified by this section: Provided, that the board of school directors of a school district may at any time during the term of such contract or agreement implement the minimum salary provisions of this section for the entire school term in the manner provided in section 1151.³ Whenever a board of school directors of a school district exercises the power granted by this subsection to implement the minimum salary provisions of this section, it shall implement them by making a supplemental salary payment to each full-time teacher who qualifies for such payment in an amount equal to the difference between eighteen thousand five hundred dollars ($18,500) and the salary to which such teacher is entitled under the terms of the applicable contract or agreement and shall be entitled to receive the special payment provided by section 2594.⁴

(c) The board of school directors of a school district shall pay to full-time teachers a salary which equals at least eighteen thousand five hundred dollars ($18,500) for the school term beginning after the expiration of the term of any contract or agreement in effect on the effective date of this section between a public employer and a public employe or employe organization pursuant to the “Public Employe Relations Act,” and for each school term thereafter.

(d) For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

“Board of school directors” shall mean board of school directors, intermediate unit board of directors and area career and technical board.

“School district” shall mean school district, intermediate unit and area career and technical school.

“Teacher” shall mean classroom teachers and all others included within the definition of “teacher” in section 1141,⁵ including speech correctionists and instructional department chairmen employed by a school district.