Contract negotiations between the Bethlehem Central Teacher’s Association, the Bethlehem Principal’s Association and the school district have come to a close.
The district announced on Friday, May 4, new labor agreements were reached to replace the contracts set to expire in June. The unions will have two weeks to review the contracts before they are voted on by members.
“The Bethlehem school community has pulled together to preserve the excellence of a Bethlehem education in these difficult financial times,” said BC spokesman Bill DeVoe in a statement.
The BCTA contract would result in $2.7 million in savings over four years through a restructuring in salary scale and health insurance contributions, according to the district and union President David Rounds.
Exact details on the contract will not be available until the agreement has been introduced to union members.
Last year, the union agreed upon a partial pay freeze for the 2011-12 school year, with members not receiving their contractual raises for 70 percent of the year. That was in addition to changes negotiated in 2009, when it was agreed the existing 2006 contract would be extended until June 2012 with different concessions in each school year.
According to Rounds, the savings from last year’s concession saved almost $1.2 million, while deferrals and fringe benefit reductions from the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years saved the district an additional $1 million.
“I thought that in the end, through negotiations, the two sides came up with a contract that was responsible to taxpayers and the needs of the school district,” said Rounds. “And at the same time, it maintains a professional working relationship for the staff.”
According to the district, the current proposals and past union concessions will have saved BC schools more than $5 million over eight years.
The BPA also agreed to a contract with savings in “heath care contributions and administrative costs” over a three-year span.
“Our members have always sought to support the district, its students and community,” said BPA President Heidi Bonacquist in a news release. “That’s why we took a true salary freeze last year, and why we have agreed to this contract that assists the district financially and ensures a quality education for all the children in our community.”
BC Superintendent Tom Douglas said although the savings in administrative costs may not seem substantial, there are only 12 members in the BC principal’s union and “knowing we are on stable ground for the foreseeable future allows the district some much-needed peace of mind.”
Douglas in the past had called the negotiations “positive” and respectful.
“It shows that everyone understands what’s at stake here,” Board of Education President Diane Giacone Stever said in a statement. She offered gratitude to all employees on behalf of the board.
“When it comes down to it, we’re all here for one reason, the kids,” she said.
Rounds said the agreement could still impact the 2012-2013 budget in the future once it is finalized.
“The salaries teachers will receive next year are considerably lower than what the district budgeted for so it could lead to returning some of the positions slated to be removed,” he said.
According to Rounds, the teacher union members are expected to vote on the contract on May 21. He anticipates it will pass.
“The actions by these two groups are prime examples of shared sacrifice,” Douglas said in a statement. “We have made many painful cuts and reductions during this budget process, but you can’t cut your way to excellence. The work conducted by parties on both sides of the table will help us maintain Bethlehem’s record of being among the top districts in the state.”
The public will vote on the 2012-13 school year budget on Tuesday, May 15.
