Teachers who have been employed since 2004 will receive a 2.14
percent increase
San Benito High School teachers did their part last week to
secure a new contract
– voting 128-0 to ratify the agreement – while the district
Board of Trustees sealed the deal Wednesday night with its
blessing.
After three years without a working labor contract, the SBHS
Teachers Association once again has a contract.
Teachers who have been employed since 2004 will receive a 2.14 percent increase
San Benito High School teachers did their part last week to secure a new contract – voting 128-0 to ratify the agreement – while the district Board of Trustees sealed the deal Wednesday night with its blessing.
After three years without a working labor contract, the SBHS Teachers Association once again has a contract.
The SBHS trustees voted 3 to 1 in favor of ratifying the contract with the Association, effectively authorizing the school’s first teaching contract in three years. One board member was absent.
“I’m very excited for the staff. This means will be putting ourselves in a position to take better care of our families finances,” said Chuck Schallhorn, president of the teachers association.
According to the terms of the contract, tentatively agreed upon by the teachers in December, teachers who have been employed since 2004 will receive a salary increase of 2.14 percent for their work dating back to July 1, 2004. On top of that, teachers will receive a 4 percent raise for their work dating back to July 1, 2005. Some teachers, then, are receiving a raise of 6.4 percent – their first raise since the old contract expired three years ago. The contract will cost the district a total of $3 million over a period of three years.
In addition, teachers who choose to coach a sports team after class or advise a club will see a 4 percent increase in the salary they receive for that extra duty, also retroactive to July 1, 2005. Teachers who choose to serve as a Class Advisor will receive an additional stipend of $1,292 per year – each class has two advisers who coordinate the student’s fundraising efforts and activities. Those teachers who choose to give up their preparatory period and teach six classes each week will be given a stipend of $6,750 per year, up from $5,700.
An initial agreement between the teachers association and the district regarding salary and health care was reached in early December, after three years of unsuccessful bargaining. After those two major sources of contention were hammered out, negotiations proceeded quickly during the next few weeks as negotiators sought to revise language issues in the agreement. A tentative, 53-page contract agreement was decided upon by the teachers on Jan. 9.
Just before the vote, Evelyn Muro, the only trustee who voted against ratifying the contract, read a written statement asserting that although she supported the teachers’ right to collective bargaining, she could not support the contract proposal that she believed would lead the district into deficit spending.
“This contract will place the district in financial jeopardy over time,” she said. “It means spending yesterday’s dollars and money not yet received.”
Union representatives, however, maintain that the contract is no more or less than what the district can and should afford.
“I understand and share trustee Muro’s concerns for fiscal responsibility, but the cuts to specific departments she was speculating in her letter … She doesn’t make those cuts independently. As part of the bargaining agreement, they had to certify to the state that [the district]could afford the offer. They did that, so it shouldn’t be an issue,” Schallhorn said.
Muro also asserted in her statement that the contract was incomplete and therefore could not be ratified, pointing out that the school’s daily schedule is still being negotiated, which will affect staff working hours once it is settled.
Muro is the only trustee on the board with a spouse holding a certified staff position at the high school. She did not excuse herself from the vote.
Now that the contract has been ratified, teachers could see their raises by as early as late Feb.
A fund totaling $300,000, previously set aside to finance health benefits, will be used to ensure each teacher receives $12,840 in health coverage each year in addition to their salaries. While all teachers are required to participate in a plan through the Self-Insured Schools of California, they do not have to choose the most expensive one. If a teacher wants a less comprehensive plan, they will receive a difference between the plan and $12,840 in cash. Should $300,000 prove insufficient to cover premium increases until 2007, the district will provide for the rest, according to the contract.
The contract also changes language regarding safety conditions grievance procedures and conditions of leave, which had not been revisited in more than 20 years.
