After
20 months of collective bargaining and mediation, the Bronxville Board of
Education and the Bronxville Teachers Association have reached mutual agreement
on a three-year contract that runs retroactively from July 1, 2010 to June 30,
2013. Under the new contract, base wages
will increase 0%, 1%, and 1.25% in each of the three years. Annual step increases, averaging 1.6%, remain
part of the contract in addition to the negotiated increases, resulting in an
average salary increase of 2.35% per year. However, in the third year, the step
increase or “increment” will be delayed until midyear, which will save the
District $130,000 in that year.
All
parties involved in the negotiations sought to achieve an agreement that would
reflect mutual respect, provide fair compensation for teachers and meet the
needs of Bronxville’s parents and community members. All stakeholders can take pride in the work
that was done by the negotiators on both sides, all of whom never lost sight of
the important reasons they were engaged in the work – to continue the excellent
education of Bronxville’s students.
Superintendent
David Quattrone commented, “Everybody worked hard to reach an agreement that
addresses the very real concerns of our community for a sustainable economic
model, while maintaining a structure that satisfies the key objectives of our
teachers and the Board. We can breathe a collective sigh of relief that we have
accomplished our goal, in a very difficult economic climate. Now we can reduce
the uncertainty and move forward to concentrate on learning, teaching and
maintaining a positive learning environment for all.”
Board
President Jim Hudson expressed his satisfaction with the outcome but also
pointed out the issues facing the District in the future: “I am thrilled with
the ratification of the BTA contract. It represents the hard work of the BTA,
the Board and the administration to equitably address the constraints on school
budgets and the need to appropriately compensate our teachers and employees.
School districts are being squeezed from all sides to balance budgets with a 2%
or less tax cap, increasing pension costs and declining state aid. We thank the
members of the BTA for their approval of the contract and understanding of the
issues all New York school districts are now facing.”
In
addition to establishing base salaries for the three-year term, the agreement
also covers a range of issues affecting total salaries, benefits and working
conditions. Among other things, two “gates” or half-steps will be inserted into
the salary schedule after step 9 and after step 12. This permanent structural change to the
salary schedule effectively adds two years to the time it takes for our
teachers to reach maximum salaries in the future. Employee contributions to
health insurance will increase to 15% over the life of the contract, rising
from the current contribution of 10% plus $200.
Effective for retirements after July 1, 2016, retiree contributions for
individual healthcare coverage will increase from 7.5% to 10% and such
contributions for retiree family healthcare coverage will be set at the rate in
effect at the time of retirement. Other changes include the extension of health
insurance coverage to domestic partners and a reduction in child-rearing leave
from 14 weeks to 12 weeks. Finally, employees hired after July 1, 2011 are no
longer eligible for tuition-free attendance for their children. Instead, a
$5000 rate will apply, and children may not enroll prior to third grade.
The
parties also negotiated several changes in working conditions. Elementary
teachers were granted a half day at the end of the school year without students
to take care of year-end responsibilities. Personal days were reduced from five
to four. The BTA President was granted release time in order to perform his or
her duties. The contract establishes new requirements for using technology to
communicate with families, contingent upon related training. The parties agreed to compensation for
supervising on-line instruction and independent study. The final agreement also
includes a number of other provisions that both parties believe will enhance
the District’s ability to continue to deliver academic programs of the highest
quality.
