Calls for 4.95% annual raises
By: Marisa Maldonado
The teachers union and the Board of Education have approved a contract giving the district’s 850 teachers a 4.95 percent raise for each of the three years of the deal. The agreement came more than a week before the expiration of the current contract.
The Board of Education approved the contract 7-0 Monday night, following the teachers’ ratification of the contract on June 15. The teachers approved it by a 306-18 vote, with about 40 percent of the teachers voting, SBEA negotiations leader Joe Dougherty said.
Board members Attilio DeFalco and Harry Delgado abstained from the board’s vote.
Mr. Dougherty, who also was involved in contract negotiations in 2003 and 2000, said this was the first contract in which he had been involved that was approved before the June 30 deadline. Both sides seemed eager to settle the contract this year, said Mr. Dougherty, a computer applications teacher at Crossroads South Middle School.
"It’s very difficult for our team to be doing full-time jobs and doing this," Mr. Dougherty said.
The contract, which goes into effect on July 1 and expires June 30, 2009, includes a salary increase of 4.95 percent for each year of the contract. The salary range for the 2008-09 year would range from $48,382 for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree and no additional credits to $83,380 for a teacher with a doctoral degree. The current salary guide ranges from $44,150 for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree and no additional credits to $77,380 for a teacher with a doctoral degree.
The contract also includes an increase in prescription drug co-pay, ranging from $20 for a brand-name drug with a generic equivalent to $3 for a generic drug. Currently, teachers pay $15 for brand-name drugs with generic equivalents. This increase saves the district 4.5 percent on health benefits costs, said Michael Lacey, district director of human resources.
The increase in prescription co-pay concerned the teachers, Mr. Dougherty said, but they decided to compromise because of the increasing cost of health insurance. Teachers, who are covered under the state’s insurance plan, do not contribute any of their salaries toward a health-care premium.
The contract also includes an extra day of training at the start of the school year for all new teachers. New teachers now will undergo four days of training without compensation.
"We wanted to train our people as much as possible (about) the culture of the district and all the initiatives involved," Mr. Lacey said.
This addition seemed beneficial for new teachers, Mr. Dougherty said.
"First year teaching is overwhelming enough as it is," Mr. Dougherty said. "I definitely think they could benefit from it provided the day is well-organized and planned."
All teachers work 186 days of the year under the new contract, which is no change from the existing one. Teachers receive 10 sick days and two personal days.
Seven teachers represented the union, Mr. Dougherty said. Three board members President Martin Abschutz, Vice President Robert Long and Matthew Speesler joined Superintendent Gary McCartney, Mr. Lacey and labor relations consultant Bruce Taylor in representing the district.
Mr. Abschutz said the board was pleased with the results of the negotiations.
"We had a very good process with the education association," Mr. Abschutz said Monday night. "It was very professional, very respectful."
The district also is negotiating a contract with bus drivers, and maintenance workers have drafted a memorandum of agreement that has yet to be ratified, Mr. Lacey said.