In a move expected to save the Bethlehem Central School District hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Bethlehem Central Teachers Association voted to renegotiate its contract.
The newly restructured BCTA contract calls for delays in teachers’ cost-of-living agreements (COLA), which district officials say will save district taxpayers around $600,000 next year. Union members agreed to delay their annual COLA from September of 2009 until January of 2010.
The new contract calls for a moratorium on teacher sabbaticals and coaching salaries, ending in 2012.
The concessions come from deferring cost-of-living increases for four months next year and for three months the year after, but the moratoriums on sabbaticals and professional development stipends also save $97,500. The freeze on coaching salaries is expected to save an additional $25,000. There will also be a fringe benefit savings of $75,600 according to the terms of the tentative contract.
BCTA president David Rounds commended the collaborative effort on such a sensitive issue.
I give credit to both parties for keeping the lines of communication open in order to get this deal done, Rounds said. `Both sides were working under tremendous pressure, and we were still able to come to terms that maintain the integrity of working conditions and most importantly saves the district money during this difficult financial period.`
District officials call the union vote `overwhelmingly` in favor of the contract change, with 98 percent voting in favor. Rounds said only eight union members voted against renegotiating the district contract.
`This agreement will strengthen our financial position as we continue to grapple with an economy that is difficult for both school districts and taxpayers,` Superintendent Michael Tebbano stated in a release on the vote. `I am proud of our faculty stepping up and meeting these challenges with the school district and our community.`
The Bethlehem Board of Education has to officially adopt the new contract before it can take effect.
`The teachers were the ones who came forward,` Tebbano said. `I commend the teachers for not making demands on the school district. I want to be up front about that because they’ve been very honorable about this.`
Rounds said that Bethlehem teachers realized the implications of such a momentous economic crisis and were willing to help.
`I believe the strength of the vote demonstrates that the Bethlehem Central Teachers’ Association is committed to the financial stability of this school district,` Rounds said. `The membership understood the importance of this contract agreement and responded with outstanding support.`
Board of Education President James Lytle, who is finishing his tenure on the board at the end of his current term July 1, also thanked the union.
`We credit the union leadership who supported this proposal,` Lytle said at the April 22 announcement. `We are grateful to the teachers association for working with us.`
Lytle added that he didn’t know how unusual the situation was but that he has heard of very few contract concession around the state.
The board of education is expected to vote in favor of the new contract on Wednesday, May 20, a day after the district budget vote, which proposes $87.56 million budget and a 1.76 percent tax rate increase.
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