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With $234 million in federal stimulus dollars headed to Nebraska’s public schools, state teachers might finally see their pay ranking rise from among the lowest in the country.

The says 148 of Nebraska’s 250-plus school districts have settled negotiations on teachers’ pay, with all of them seeing a raise in base pay. That’s despite the nation’s troubled economy.

Nebraska’s average teacher salary for the 2007-08 school year was $42,885 — 45th in the nation.

During this year’s round of negotiations, teachers have been using a letter written by Gov. Dave Heineman calling for the stimulus money to go toward raising teacher salaries. Teachers in more than four dozen districts have seen a $1,000 or more increase in base salary.