How much could Springfield teacher pay go up?
By Claudette Riley- News-Leader June 13, 2016
Springfield teachers have approved a tentative contract for next year that would raise pay an average of 3.4 percent.
The 1,800-member bargaining unit of teachers, librarians and counselors — represented by the Springfield National Education Association — voted late Thursday, with an overwhelming margin, to ratify the proposed agreement. If the school board also approves the contract at its June 30 meeting, the changes will cost $3.9 million.
Missouri's largest district and the teachers union engaged in weeks of collective bargaining to reach the tentative agreement, which includes a cost-of-living increase, restructuring the teacher pay structure and raising pay for starting teachers.
The plan would also increase stipend amounts for a handful of positions, implement a restructured "salary schedule" giving teachers more money for gaining education and experience, and put in writing processes aimed at improving workplace conditions.
"We go into negotiations always with the goal of doing the best for the most," said Kittilu Maxson, president of the Springfield National Education Association, which was elected to represent the bargaining unit. "That is what we went in with and, with the outcome we have, we achieved that."
The district has nearly 4,000 employees and engages in collective bargaining with five different groups, but the one that includes teachers is the largest. Talks are still ongoing with three of the employee groups.
Chief Human Resources Officer Parker McKenna said one result of bargaining with the teachers, librarians and counselors was adjusting the salary structure to improve pay for specific groups of employees.
"It will dramatically improve our competitiveness," said McKenna, noting Springfield's starting teacher pay is currently ranked fifth of nine large area districts. "We want to make sure we are competitive with our regional counterparts."
The starting pay for Springfield teachers is slated to go up by $1,209 next year to hit $35,638.
McKenna said Springfield won't know how that change will affect its rank among other area districts until those districts announce what they will pay new teachers next year.
A salary schedule is a matrix used to increase employee pay, in steps, over time. The district's schedule allows teachers to move up the pay scale by gaining years of experience and additional education.
In addition to triggering the salary schedule, the plan was also redesigned to give large boosts to different groups.
•At the bottom of the pay scale, there was a category for teachers with just bachelor's degrees and another category, with higher pay, for those with bachelor's degrees plus 15 additional college credits. The redesign combines the two categories and starts everyone, even those with just a bachelor's degree, at the same level as those with a bachelor's degree plus 15 credits.
The change will affect 24 percent of teachers and result in an average pay increase of 2.5 percent.
•The middle of the pay scale includes a category for teachers with a master's degree plus 30 additional college credits and another category, with higher pay, for teachers with specialist degrees. Those categories will be combined so everyone in the new category can be paid at the same rate as those with specialist degrees.
That change will affect just under 2 percent of teachers and carries an average raise of 4 percent.
All teachers are slated to receive a cost-of-living increase, but the tentative agreement outlines two different amounts.
The 58 percent of teachers whose highest education level is a master's degree (and who are not expected to benefit from restructuring the salary schedule) are slated to receive a 1.5 percent increase. The other 42 percent would receive a 0.5 percent pay hike.
A handful of stipends were also addressed. The district agreed to increase the amount paid to high school orchestra directors and add stipends for assistant middle school volleyball and track coaches. A $500 stipend was also approved to offset the expensive ongoing training required for speech language pathologists.
The agreement also addressed a few workplace conditions, in some cases just putting into writing what was already in practice:
•The district must make an effort to provide an employee with documentation of any disciplinary problems before the paperwork is placed in an employee file.
•Effort will be made to make sure employees under investigation have access to a representative from the teachers union.
•The union will now be allowed to identify members interested in serving on the school calendar committee, ensuring teachers have a voice. "We felt like it was really important to let us get four people from our bargaining unit to serve," Maxson said.
The collective bargaining process also reviewed teaching planning time, which the union is seeking to protect, as well as the ability for specialty and related arts teachers to have enough time to plan and collaborate. Both sides agree progress was made but plan to bring the topic up again next year.
Collective bargaining
The Springfield school district engages in collective bargaining with five employee groups. Here are the bargaining units and the groups elected to represent each group:
•Teachers, counselors and librarians — represented by Springfield National Education Association. The SNEA has ratified and tentative agreement is expected to go to the school board June 30.
•Custodial, maintenance and supply — represented by Education Support Personnel, an affiliate of Missouri NEA. This has also been ratified and agreement, proposing a 1.25 percent pay increase, will go before the board June 30. This tentative agreement also includes step increases and stipends for head custodians.
•Bus drivers and bus aides — represented by Teamsters Local No. 245. Talks are in the early stages.
•Nurses — represented by SNEA. Talks are ongoing
•Secretaries, clerical — represented by SNEA, an affiliate of Missouri NEA. Talks are ongoing.
