‘Revolutionary’ Teacher Contract Settlement Reached in Brewster
In an agreement described by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jane Sandbank as “revolutionary,” the Brewster School District and its teachers union have reached agreement on a three-year contract that will save the district of about $1 million and preserve the jobs of some district staff and allow for the creation of full-day kindergarten next year. In addition, a memorandum of agreement was reached between the district and the Brewster Administration Association that will freeze their salaries, as well as the teachers’, next year.
The total salary increase for teachers over three years would be 1.8 percent. “The settlement is, therefore, revolutionary, not evolutionary,” Sandbank said.”
We all work for the benefit of the children.”
The contract settlement with the roughly 200-member Brewster Teachers Association was announced by Sandbank and Board of Education President Dr. Stephen Jambor at a press conference in the administration building on April 15.
Jambor said, “Today we are here to celebrate a true life success story. It does not rely on hyperbole and it was not written for the silver screen. Real people made it happen and they did so without any pomp and circumstance.”
Sandbank said the district needed to “change and move forward and create new solutions” due to the state-mandated property tax cap, inadequate state aid, and changing attitudes “towards public education, unions and school administrations.”
The school board is scheduled to vote on the contract settlement with the teachers union and the memorandum of agreement with the administrators when it meets on April 16. The trustees are also expected to vote on the 2013-14 $85,999,723 budget, which would increase spending by 2.29 percent and hike the property tax levy by 1.9 percent.
Sandbank if the school board approve the pacts with the teachers and administrators the job of a classroom and art teacher at the CV Star Intermediate School and reduce class sizes at the school; provide for the full restoration of a position at the high school to maintain the current size of the district’s Naval Junior Reserves Officers Training Corps program; restore some other positions that previously slated to be reduced; and restored modified sports programs in cross country, track, softball and baseball. In addition, the district will create five new teaching positions to implement a new full-day kindergarten program in 2013-14, she said. The creation of full-day kindergarten will cost $400,000 next year.
The memorandum of agreement with the teachers union includes a freeze on both salaries and step increases next year; beginning in the following academic year, step increases will be lengthened from 15 to 20 years to further slow increases; beginning in 2014-15, teachers on step 20 will receive a 1.3 percent raise and all will receive a 0.9 percent pay hike; in the final year of the pact, teachers will receive a salary adjustment increase of $300; and also in the year three, teachers’ contributions for their health insurance will rise from the current 12 percent to 14 percent.
District office administrator, who are not members of the Administration Association agreed to salary freeze in December. With both the district office and other administrators agreeing to a salary freeze next year, the district anticipates saving $60,000 in 2013-14.
Despite the salary savings, there are still reductions in the proposed budget, Sandbank said. There would still be reduction of a total of 11 teaching and non-teaching positions nest year, she noted.
Following the press conference, Robin Welch, a high school teacher who served as the chief negotiator for her union, said it was necessary for educators to come to an agreement with the district that would cut costs to prevent some program and staff reductions. “We all recognize where we were going,” she said. “We’ve seen the cuts taking place. We feel them personally, they’re our colleagues. We feel them professionally, they’re our students.”
Welch said her union sent a survey out to its members to learn what was the most important for them in the contract negotiations. “Overwhelmingly it was do what we can do to save our programs, save our class size and save our teachers,” she said.
Administrator Hiring
Also during the April 16 meeting, the board of education is slated to vote to appoint Valerie Henning-Piedmonte to the post of assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment to coordinate academic programs districtwide and to meet state mandates.
“We needed somebody to lead that charge,” Sandbank said. Henning-Piedmonte is currently an assistant superintendent in the Clarkstown School District.
The new position will replace an unfilled central office administration post, Sandbank said.
