August 18, 2009

Bristol-Warren teachers settle contract

Teachers, School Committee ratify on same day

     The Bristol-Warren Education Association (BWEA) overwhelmingly ratified  tentative agreement negotiated with the Bristol-Warren Regional School District.

Key terms of the agreement are:

• Raises for top step teachers of 2.75%, 2.25%, and 2.25% in each year, respectively.
• Raises retroactive to September 1, 2008.
• Raises for teachers on steps 1-9 of 1% over each of the three years of the agreement.
• Employee contributions to healthcare increase immediately to 15% (from the 10% contribution required in the prior agreement) to 20% by the 2010-2011 school year.

     The parties have also agreed to introduce a high deductible plan with a Health Savings Account to commence January 2010.

     “This was critical for us and is why the union introduced it,” said Linda LaClair, president of the BWEA. “It provides our members with a fixed cost to hedge against rising premiums and allows them to put money away for future medical expenses. The ‘win’ for the School Committee is that the plan significantly reduces premium costs to the district.”

     LaClair continued, “Something needs to be done to contain spiraling healthcare costs. Cost shifting won’t stop it.

     “We were hopeful that the Committee would have accepted our wellness Initiative, modeled on the governor’s plan, but there seemed to be little interest. That would have further reduced premiums over the long run,” she said.

     Another significant change is the addition of 25 minutes to one school day per week this year (35 minutes next year) for common planning. Common planning, a R.I. Department of Education requirement, is intended to permit teachers to look at student work and address student needs, especially those students with the greatest needs.

     “The Department of Education recognizes that this is critical in improving student achievement and it’s why the Association proposed it, but RIDE only mandates it at the secondary level. We’ll have it at all three levels here in Bristol-Warren,” said LaClair.

     The BWRSD School Committee unanimously ratified the agreement a short while after the teachers’ ratification vote.