PRESS RELEASE

South Kingstown School Committee Ratifies Contract with NEASK

Monday, December 20, 2004

 

The South Kingstown School Committee is pleased to announce an agreement with its teachers union, the NEA/SK, on a collective bargaining agreement.  The agreement is scheduled for a ratification vote by the School Committee on Monday, December 20, 2004.  The language of the settlement is being incorporated into the existing contract, which will be available to public as soon as it is done.

There are two separate agreements:

  • A one year extension for 2004-05 with a 1.5% general wage increase.
  • A three year contract covering 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08.

The contract settlement is a fair one that takes into account the interests of both the school district and the teachers.  It provides fair compensation for teachers, savings in health care for the school district, and, most importantly, takes steps that provide for the district to move forward educationally to the benefit of the children attending our schools.

The contract provides for expanded and redesigned professional development for teachers aligned with our implementation of the Principles of Learning and the Institute for Learning, our effort to bring instructional consistency across schools and grades, and builds into the work year for teachers support for curriculum development and implementation.

The contract extends the school day for students so that we meet the extended school day requirements of the Board of Regents.  All students in grades 1 through 12 will have 330 minutes of instructional time daily.  The contract also addresses changes associated with the Board of Regents regulations for high schools, most notably in the creation of a student advisory system.

As part of the contract settlement, teachers agreed to co share a portion of their health care premium as well as to make changes in plan coverage that will save the district additional health care expenses.  The premium co share is based on the principle, also emerging in the private sector, that the greater your earnings, the greater share of your premium you pay.  For that reason, the co share is set at 3% for starting teachers and rises to 6% for teachers at the top of the scale.  Because most teachers are at the top of the scale, the effective premium co share for the district is 5.4%.  This is consistent with other teacher co shares throughout the state and with what the Governor has proposed and implemented for some state employees.

General Wages

  • The general wage increase totals 12.75 percent over four years (1.5% in the extension, 3.75%, 3.75%, 3.75%), an average of just under 3.2% per year.
  • The 1.5% in the extension year allows the school committee to work within its budget, including the $1.2 million reduction.
  • The average increase over the life of the contract is commensurate with general wage increases given to teachers across the state.  The School Committee believes that South Kingstown teachers should be paid a fair wage, competitive with other Rhode Island teachers, and the contract reflects that belief.
  • The table below compares SK teacher wages with the statewide average and median.  It shows are salaries to be at or slightly below the median for the 44% of our teachers who are at the BA level, near the median for the 36% at the MA level, and slightly above the median for the 20% who are above the MA level.

 

 

2004-05

 

2005-06

 

% of SK

SK

RI Average

RI Median

 

SK

RI Average

RI Median

BA Start

 

$32,684

$33,813

$33,560

 

$33,910

$34,550

$34,527

BA Maximum

 

$59,937

$61,829

$62,025

 

$62,185

$63,858

$63,747

BA, BA+30

44%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MA Start

 

$34,971

$36,446

$36,185

 

$36,282

$37,222

$37,221

MA Maximum

 

$64,134

$64,462

$64,650

 

$66,539

$66,530

$66,441

MA

36%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MA+30 Start

 

$36,605

$37,126

$36,860

 

$37,978

$37,709

$37,679

MA +30 Maximum

 

$67,993

$65,142

$65,325

 

$70,543

$67,017

$66,899

MA+30

20%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table based on salary data provided by the Rhode Island Association of School Committees

School Day Changes

  • The contract settlement lengthens the instructional school day for every South Kingstown student and brings us into compliance with the Board of Regents requirements for increased minutes of instruction.  For most of our students, the longer school day will take affect in advance of the mandated deadline.

Health Care

  • The contract settlement will save the district over $200,000 in health care costs in 2005-06 and increasing amounts in future years.  The annualized savings exceed $240,000 but are applied over ten months in the first implementation year (September to June).  Savings come from –
    • A premium co share that ranges from 3% for starting teachers to 6% for experienced teachers.  The net co share for the district is 5.4%.
    • Plan changes that reduce costs by 2.9% for Classic plans and 0.9% for Coast to Coast plans have an annualized savings of $62,757.
    • The School Committee did not achieve its goal of eliminating exclusivity from the contract.  Given that we achieved a premium co share and made plan changes that reduce costs, the committee sees the negotiations as an overall success.  Neither side ever achieves all its goals in a negotiation.

Work Schedule and Professional Development

  • The contract settlement reorganizes the teachers’ work year and professional development requirements.  The reorganization improves the utilization of available time and resources.
  • The addition of academic coaches and restructuring of professional development position the district to accelerate implementation of new curricula and instructional methodologies embedded in the Principles of Learning.
  • The combination of a longer instructional day, additional professional development, shortened work year, and stipends provide an overall equitably balanced modification to work responsibilities.

 

 

Below is a summary of the agreements that make up the contract settlement

 

One year rollover for 2004-2005

·         General wage increase of 1.5%

 

Three year contract for 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08

·         General wage increases of 3.75% each year

·         25-year longevity increases from $1200 to $1350 in 2005-06

·         In 2005-06 to work year changes from 184 to 182 days

o        Elementary, 180 instructional, 1 parent conference, 1 professional development day.

o        Middle and High School, 180 instructional, 2 professional development days.

o        The structure of professional development days will be determined within each building by the faculties and administration

·         Changes in the school day –

o        Elementary schools - in 2005-06 20 minutes of before and after school time will be converted to instructional time.

o        Middle schools - in 2005-06 12 minutes of before and after school time will be added to the school day for lunch, passing and instruction and lunch returns to 30 minutes.

o        High school – in 2007-08 13 minutes of before and after school time will be added to the school day for instruction.  Lunch fixed at 22 minutes.

·         Health Care

o        C2C plan modified to add students to age 25 and $100 ER co pay.  Classic modified to add $100 ER co pay

o        Teachers will co pay health premiums – steps 1-3 @ 3%, steps 4-6 @ 4%, steps 7-8 @ 5% and steps 9-10 @ 6% with a cap on amount.

o        Caps on co pay amounts increase at 10% per year.

o        Retirees exempt from co pay.

o        Language on reimbursement for specialist visits eliminated.

o        Add coverage for domestic partners

·         Additional meetings

o        All teachers add 11 hours of mandatory meetings, one of which is a 2-hour orientation before the start of school

o        Elementary – one 2-hour meeting attached to parent conferences and seven 1-hour meetings for professional development

o        Middle and high – nine 1-hour meetings for professional development

o        Teachers paid one day at per diem for additional meetings

·         Job-embedded professional development

o        Replaces maintenance of ratio language

o        Teachers required to complete 2 units per year, 6 hours per unit

o        Receive payment of .00046 of MA step 10 for each hour ($349 per year at 2003-04 salary)

·         Class size – in 2007-08 K-5 class size reduced by 1 student.

·         Academic coaches – three academic coaches phased in at one per year.

·         Split grade teams – a day of professional development and site visits will be conducted in the year before implementation.

·         B-level classes – if B-level classes are reduced, a commensurate proportion of classes will be kept at the 15-18 class size limit.

·         Student advisory – implemented at middle and high school, at the high school, in 2005-06, one professional development day will be used for development

·         Teacher evaluation – technical modifications to language

·         Retirement incentive – revisions to notice requirement

·         Instructional coordinators – add special education, stipend at $3550

·         Special education program coordination – 3 stipend positions at $3550

·         Mentoring – add option for 3rd year, require 2nd year, increase 1st year stipend to $1200 and establish 3rd year at $600 and prohibit stipend for training during school day

·         Kindergarten –discussion of adding special areas to increase length of day

·         Recess – Recess committee in each building to examine time and make recommendation to faculty

·         Parent-teacher conference – revise language to create flex time to accommodate evening meetings

·         Job Fair

o        Require proof of certification

o        Add memo of agreement language on “shuffle” limiting movement to one grade unless reason to support otherwise

·         Reasonable effort to limit elementary special areas to 2 buildings per day

·         Clarify extended school year for guidance counselors and 230-day teachers

·         School Committee open to discuss day care as independent, self-sustaining operation

·         Superintendent authorizes principals to release specialists for subject area meetings in lieu of faculty meetings up to 3 times per year

·         School Committee open to discuss site-based management that could include relief from CBA elements