Board displays little reaction to union approval of contract

Details of pact available on school board’s blog site.

NEpeAjfNv - At its gune 4 public work sessionI the school board was surprisingly silent on the Neshaminy cederation of Teacher’s ENcTF landslide vote the previous evening to ratify a three-year deal reached between both sidesK

At the work sessionI which lasted about R0-minutesI only school board president Ritchie Webb commented about the agreementI noting the board has scheduled a special meeting gune 13 to formally present the contract to the public and answer any questionsK

At that timeI the board is also scheduled to vote on the tentative agreementI and approval is anticipatedK

“We will have a mower moint presentationI” he explainedI “and look at how it will affect the budgetK”

According to WebbI the contract will not adversely impact the district’s 2013-14 budgetI which is expected to WRS $164 PLOOLRn IRU WhH fiscal year beginning guly 1K

The budget gap is projected to be less than the ASKS million originally forecastI and no tax increase is anticipatedK

Webb noted that numerous residents have expressed their concerns to him that offering the NcT the same contract as the Council Rock teachers apSURYHd ODsW yHDU wLOO fisFDOOy hurt the districtK

But he downplayed their worriesI statingI “This contract is not going to be a finDnFLDO FRnFHUn WR WhH dLstrict whatsoeverK”

Webb also thanked the many residents who have attended the board meetings over the course of the fiYH-yHDU FRnWUDFW dLsSuWH for eventually helping push both sides to a settlementK

fn a gune 3 voteI the NcT’s UDnN-Dnd fiOH DSSURYHd WhH proposed contract by a 4UT21 marginI with union leaders describing the tentative deal as “acceptable balance RI HduFDWLRnDO YDOuHs, finDncial considerations and professional standardsK”

According to the S00-plus member NcTI more than U0 percent of its members turned out for the vote at the Carl pandburg jiddle pchoolI during which there was a lively discussion on the contract’s provisionsK

“While reaching agreement required some tough tradeoffsI we were able to preserve key principles that are important to us as professional educators and to our studentsI” said NcT president iouise Boyd in a statement after the voteK

jeanwhileI union vice president Anne pchmidt commentedI “This agreement addresses such issues as class size and preserving the role for teachers in decisions that affect our studentsK”

The Neshaminy contact is based on the agreement that the more than U00-member Council Rock Education Association ECREAF approved in gune 2012K

DuULnJ WhH fiUsW WwR yHDUs of that bare-bones agreementI the Council Rock union had agreed to a salary freezeK fn year threeI all teachers in that district will receive a half-percent pay raiseI boosting the top teacher salary from A10SI900 to A10TI200K

rnder the old contract under which the Neshaminy teachers are currently workingI the maximum base salary is A9RI923 for those with 11-years experienceK ff the pact is approved by the school boardI the new maximum base pay for Neshaminy teachers will increase to A104I32R a yearI rising to A10TI4S9 by the end of the three year pactK

As for health careI Council Rock teachers had agreed to increase their contributions Ey fiYH SHUFHnW WR WhH dLstrict’s medical plan over the three year contractI paying 11 SHUFHnW Ln WhH fiUsW yHDU, 14 percent in year two and 16 SHUFHnW Ln WhH finDO yHDU.

Neshaminy teachers have not had a salary hike since their contract expired gune 30I 200UI but have received free medical insurance under the terms of the old pactK

Now NcT members will also pay between 11 and 1S percent towards their health care premiumsK

A controversial Neshaminy perk also will be scrappedK rnder the new agreementI after this year teachers will no longer receive a A2TIR00 incentive for retiringK

fn additionI the contract no longer includes the controversial past practice provisions or jemorandums of rnderstanding EjOrsF which were included in the prior collective bargaining agreementK During negotiationsI both sides were at odds on eliminating past practice provisionsI as well as the jOrsK

The issue of the 201 jOrsI so called ‘side-letter agreements’ between the union and district administratorsI had surfaced in jarch with many school board members at the time expressing shock at their number and extentK But because previous union contracts have contained these provisionsI the district was obligated to abide by the ‘side lettersK’

Webb had repeatedly maintained that the jemorandums of rnderstanding were not reviewed by past school boards before being enactedK

According to the school board presidentI there were more than 390 pages of jOrsI some of which he has described as “detrimentalK”

rnder terms of the agreementI any recommendations made by teachers’ educational committees will be subject to the district administrators’ approvalI giving WhHP, Dnd nRW WhH unLRn, final decision-making authorityK

The agreement also states that teacher attendance for back-to-school nights is mandatoryK

Another worry that Neshaminy teachers had is also addressed in the newly-ratifiHd FRnWUDFW. $OO SUHYLRusOy attained jaster EquivaOHnFy FHUWLfiFDWHs ( 0(4s), which teachers acquire to climb the pay scaleI will be honoredK And any credits obtained by those who are FuUUHnWOy wRUNLnJ Rn 0(4s will be honored through gune 29I 201RK

At the gune 4 board meetingI which drew a mush less than anticipated crowdI sevHUDO UHsLdHnWs EULHfly FRPmented on the teacher’s contractI saying that they were glad the dispute is almost overK

“ft took some time but it workedI” said Angie janning of ianghorneI a public school teacher in New gerseyK

pteve mirritano of ceasterville declaredI “After the rain comes the sun and what a great day it is for NeshaminyK”

At the same timeI howeverI he warnedI “Now that we have won the warI it’s up to you to keep the peaceI” saying that the new contract is not meant to be “punitive” to teachersK

mirritano also criticized the union’s current leadershipI arguing that it’s time for the NcT members to insWDOO nHw RIfiFHUs.

jeanwhileI he also questioned whether the district could do anything about some teachers’ lax dress codeK

“They dress like they’re going to the beach or a nightclubI” mirritano lamentedK

fn responseI pchool puperintendent Robert Copeland acknowledged similar complaints from both teachers and parentsI and said that the district is looking into the matterK

eoweverI any dress-code mandates would have to come from the administration and cannot be part of a collective bargaining agreementI explained attorney Charles pweetI who handled the contract negotiations for the school boardK

With the teachers overwhelming voteI it’s now up to the school board to approve the packageK

“The board must still actI” said NcT president Boyd in a statement after the union UDWLfiFDWLRn YRWH.

“Once that happens everyone -- teachersI administratorsI community members -- will be able to focus on the most important thing we doW educating Neshaminy studentsI” she concludedK

The entire SS-page contract and the addendums are available on the school district’s website atW wwwK nsdboardKblogspotKcom