District, teachers union reach tentative agreement on new contract
There was applause, a group photo and an invitation by one negotiating team to join the other team at a restaurant to celebrate.
Negotiating teams with the Columbia Missouri National Education Association and the Columbia Board of Education on Friday reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract that includes an average 5.77 percent salary increase for teachers in addition to increases for experience.
The agreement restores salaries frozen in 2009-10 for teachers who were working for the district at the time. CMNEA President Kathy Steinhoff has asked the school board to approve a one-time stipend to provide the money to those teachers this year.
The contract sets the minimum salary at $35,500, up from the current $34,353. The agreement would have new university graduates earn the minimum salary for their first three years rather than the current contract that pays them the minimum for their first four years with Columbia Public Schools.
It also sets the minimum salary for new teachers with a master’s degree at a higher rate than those with a bachelor’s degree. That starting salary would be $36,129.
The district’s base salary would increase 5.25 percent, from $30,514 to $32,115. After three years with the district, teachers’ salaries would be determined by a formula using the base salary.
The contract also includes an annual $3,000 stipend for teachers who maintain certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards or a certificate of clinical competence in speech and language pathology or audiology.
The new contract allows the teams to negotiate seven items in addition to salaries for each of the next three years.
The teams previously reached tentative agreements about working conditions, including teacher planning time.
Voters on April 5 approved a 65-cent increase in the district’s operating levy, which is expected to collect $14.625 million annually. Nearly $7 million was designated for employee raises.
Linda Quinley, the district’s chief financial officer, said the salary schedule that includes benefits, stipends and restoring frozen salaries will cost about $4.3 million. The remaining $2.7 million will help provide raises to other district employees.
Mary Grupe, a member of the CMNEA team, said its members would vote to ratify the contract beginning May 5, with the results expected May 6. The school board is set to consider the agreement at its May 9 meeting.
“We are really so incredibly grateful for the way you guys have worked with us,” Grupe told the administration team.
“It takes both sides at the table,” said Duane Martin, lead negotiator for the administration team. “It says a lot about the professionalism of the people sitting over there. We appreciate it.”
Dana Clippard, the school district’s deputy superintendent, said the hard work isn’t finished.
“I think we’re all very pleased,” Clippard said. “I want to recognize that we’re still challenged in the area of teacher compensation. We’ve made improvements, but we’re not at our final destination. We can celebrate tonight, but we know that our work isn’t done.”
Grupe said after the session that Clippard’s acknowledgement was encouraging.
“We think it’s a new chapter for CPS,” Grupe said.
No comments:
Post a Comment