4/29/08 - School Board Ratifies Contract with Teachers' Union

Last night the Schalmont Board of Education voted to ratify a three-year contract with the Schalmont Teachers Association. It covers the period of July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2009. The new contract includes changes in the areas of healthcare coverage and salaries as well as increased clarity in the language of the contract.

The new contract replaces the Schalmont self-funded health insurance plan, also known as the “Schalmont Plan,” with a PPO plan offered through the Capital Area School Health Insurance Consortium as of July 1, 2008. The CASHIC 813 plan offers similar benefits at a more cost-effective level for both the district and employees. Teachers will continue to have the option of choosing among two HMO options, MVP and CDPHP, and their contribution rate will remain unchanged. STA joins the two other Schalmont employee bargaining units, the Schalmont School Related Professionals Association and the School Administrators Association, in making the switch from the Schalmont Plan. This change should save the district approximately $320,000 in the coming school year and will have the effect of protecting the district from hundreds of thousands of dollars in unexpected liability under the former plan.

“The district will realize a significant cost savings,” said Michael DellaVilla, president of the Schalmont Board of Education.

During the three-year period of the contract, teachers will see an average annual salary increase of 3.5 percent, exclusive of step. This percentage will be distributed across all step levels so that salaries for teachers at the beginning and middle step levels – the majority of Schalmont teachers – are more competitive among Capital Region school districts. Though individual responsibilities vary, teachers’ job responsibilities typically include in-class instruction, class preparation activities, grading of classroom and state tests, some after-school assistance for students, and professional development activities. 

The new contract includes many elements of the prior contract that have been clarified and some improved processes. For example, provisions in the contract now make clear the amount of time that teachers have to prepare in their classrooms for the opening of school. A provision related to what happens in the event of an assault on a teacher was updated to match current state laws. The provision related to paychecks was updated to allow teachers to set up payroll deductions and automatic deposits to the bank of their choice. Another provision establishes that teachers on unpaid leave must notify the superintendent, in writing, of their return from leave at least 45 days prior to the expiration of their leave.

Mary Beth Flatley, interim president of the STA, said, “Considering the current economic and political environment, the contract represents a fair and equitable agreement for both the teachers and the district. As we move forward, the Schalmont teachers will continue to prepare the students of our community for the future.”

The new STA contract was ratified after two years of negotiations. It does not change the 2008-09 school budget proposal, which was adopted by the school board in April. Schalmont Central School District residents can vote on a $41,550,000 budget for the 2008-09 school year on Tuesday, May 20, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the foyer of the Schalmont High School New Gym, 1 Sabre Dr.

The proposed budget is a $1,456,248, or 3.63 percent, increase in spending over the 2007-08 school budget. After factoring in other revenue, such as state aid, the proposal balances the budget with a 2.99 percent increase in the school tax levy (i.e. total amount of money the district collects from local taxpayers). This is the lowest percentage increase in the school tax levy in the last five years.

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