Teachers, schools reach 1-year pact

1.18% raises, increased co-payments will result in $711,835 in added costs

Posted 9/16/14

The Warwick School Committee and the Warwick Teachers Union (WTU) have come to an agreement on a one-year contract for the 2014-15 school year. The WTU ratified the agreement last Thursday afternoon. …

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Teachers, schools reach 1-year pact

1.18% raises, increased co-payments will result in $711,835 in added costs

Posted

The Warwick School Committee and the Warwick Teachers Union (WTU) have come to an agreement on a one-year contract for the 2014-15 school year. The WTU ratified the agreement last Thursday afternoon. The School Committee approved it by a 3-2 vote later that evening, with Eugene Nadeu and Jennifer Ahearn dissenting.

As part of the agreement, which expires Aug. 31, 2015, teachers will receive a 1.18 percent pay increase at each step level; co-share payments on dental and medical insurance premiums for teachers will increase to 20 percent; the superintendent will endorse each Job Fair assignment/transfer; teachers receiving early layoff notices will be notified on or before June 1, instead of March 1 as has been the case previously; and the teacher evaluation system used in the past two years will remain intact.

Rosemary Healey, director of human resources and compliance for the school department, said both sides desired a longer-term agreement but there were a number of factors preventing that from being accomplished.

“Academic-related proposals and complex issues will take time to negotiate,” she explained. “After much back and forth discussion, we mutually agreed to work out the long-standing issues.”

Healey, who served as a member of the negotiating team along with School Committee chairwoman Bethany Furtado, vice chair Terri Medeiros and Superintendent Richard D’Agostino, said the team spent 28 hours during the month of August negotiating mutual proposals for a successor agreement.

“We discussed long-term and short-term plans,” she said. “We hope this agreement is a sign of good faith as we continue to talk. The students come first and we hope to continue to make progress.”

Schools Chief Budget Officer Anthony Ferrucci explained the economic impact of the one-year agreement. He said the cost impact of the 1.18 percent pay raise being added to teacher steps results in a total salary increase of $826,389, state retirement increase of $113,643; and Social Security tax increase of $63,219, for a total increase in expenses of $1,003,251.

Ferrucci said that increased cost is offset by reducing costs associated with the increase in teacher co-share payments for dental and medical insurance premiums, which increases from 17.8 percent to 20 percent. He said medical expenses are reduced by $284,621 and dental expenses are reduced by $6,795, for a total decrease in expenses of $291,416.

Taking everything into account, Ferrucci said the fiscal year 2015 school budget overall increased by $711,835. He said the local budget would be impacted by $683,252 and the grant budgets by $28,583.

Healey pointed out that the 1.18 percent pay raise for teachers is less than the $1,000 pay raise offered to city employees, even at the top step level, which would see a $75,000 salary increased by $500.

“The raises are extremely modest and are a reward for good work and recognition of cost of living increases,” she said.

Healey said she believes the change in notification for teacher layoffs from March 1 to June 1 is a positive for both the district and the teachers.

“The district will have better information to determine how many layoffs are needed, and it’s better for teachers because they will be making real decisions as opposed to ones that cause stress and uncertainty during the year,” she said.

D’Agostino said the two sides decided to move forward in an agreeable manner toward reaching a longer-term contract in an effort to avoid a work-to-rule situation, which he said is a situation where no one wins and the students lose the most.

“Martin Luther King said, ‘If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl; but whatever you do, continue to make progress going forward,’” D’Agostino said. “This agreement does that.”

Nadeau said the School Committee started working and preparing for the expiration date of the old contract nearly 10 months ago.

“We’ve been working for a long time to faithfully return to a three-year contract,” he said. “There were 34 changes made to the contract in that time.”

Nadeau said a list of School Committee-approved changes was presented to the union for consideration, and he wanted Healey to read into the public record what those approved changes were.

Healey asked Nadeau if he wanted her to read the 49-page document that comprises the one-year agreement.

“That document was prepared in executive session during private negotiations,” she said. “I can’t release that information unless three members of the School Committee vote to approve it.”

Healey continued, saying negotiations in this community won’t work if they are handled in public.

“I strongly advise against it,” she said. “It would be impossible to work and close the gap between the two parties.”

Nadeau faced further opposition from his colleagues on the School Committee.

Karen Bachus said negotiations are not public and should not be public, adding that she would not vote to make them public.

“That document was placed in front of us at each meeting when we started this process,” Medeiros said. “We have to have faith that we’re moving forward. We tried to do this for the benefit of the teachers and the students.”

Medeiros continued addressing Nadeau, saying, “You have to have faith we did the right thing.”

“Releasing that information now will do nothing but hinder the relationship we’re building with the union,” she said. “The union comes from a side to protect its members; we come from a side to protect the taxpayers and students, then we all have to come together and compromise.”

Nadeau said people ought to be made aware of each individual school committee member so that no one is cast in a negative light, referring to Bachus and Medeiros across the room as “good guys” and motioning to himself and Jennifer Ahearn as “bad guys.”

“We’re not against somebody and we’re not trying to make draconian changes,” he continued. “What we worked on and what we agreed to was right. What we did was right.”

Furtado said she believes the end result was time well spent.

“Would I have liked to get more? You bet I would. Would the teachers have liked to get more? I’m sure of it,” she said. “In the past the teachers went years and years without an agreement because they wanted a long-term agreement and it was disastrous for the kids. We need to make sure teachers in the class rooms aren’t distracted so they can focus on their students.”

Ahearn opened her remarks by revealing that sometime during last Tuesday’s night’s regularly scheduled monthly School Committee meeting, one of the tires on her car was slashed with a knife.

“I understand citizens’ differences of opinion, but to destroy someone’s property over those differences represents the worst of Rhode Island politics,” she said. “I want to thank the Toll Gate WISE staff for helping me get the tire fixed and get home safely.”

Turning her attention to the contract, Ahearn said she fully supports a pay increase for effective teachers.

“I’m in favor of a higher increase, but I don’t support equal pay for all teachers. I believe in rewarding the best teachers,” she said. “Sometimes I think we’re too focused on counting pennies when it comes to negotiating contracts.”

Comments

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  • JohnStark

    Two points. First, in any other professional field one is compensated proportional to their expertise and value to the organization. Education needs to leave the Stone Age and, as Ms. Ahearn observed, "reward the best teachers".

    Second, defined benefit retirement plans (i.e. pensions) are a thing of the past, but remain the elephant in the room in the public sector. When will a member of the Warwick School Committee propose a transition to a defined contribution plan as part of a new contract? Members of the WSC - Please offer some insight.

    Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Report this

  • davebarry109

    The teachers union has become a nightmare. Raises every year. Three months off a year. Weekends and holidays off. Out of a 180 day school year, they average 163 working days. Sick time, vacation, professional days off.....great job if you can get it.

    Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Report this

  • fenceman

    "The raises are extrememy modest and a reward for good work" Healy said. I guess she never read the RIBoard of Education Report card indicating Warwick graduating seniors are 16% proficient in math and 11% proficient in science. Good work for the teachers that unanimously endorsed the gun carrying DUI Councilman Donovan.

    Friday, September 19, 2014 Report this