Schools

Bedford Central School Board, Teachers' Union Reach Tentative Deal

The Bedford Central School District's Board of Education and the Bedford Teachers' Association (BTA) have a tentative deal for a new, 3-year contract, the district announced Thursday.

The prospective deal will run retroactively from July 1 to June 30, 2016. The last agreement, which was a 4-year deal, expired on June 30. That deal was announced in August 2010 and was retroactive to July 1, 2009.

The district's announcement does not specify percentage changes in salary but states that there will be “modified compensation for current teachers, a completely new compensation framework for newly-hired teachers, and high standards for professional growth.”

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Under the tentative deal, current teachers who have salary steps would get a partial step increase for the 2013-14 school year, another partial raise in 2014-15 and finally a full increase and a recurring “off-schedule payment” for 2015-16.

Off-schedule payments would be given to teachers who are at the current schedule's top step, according to the district's announcement, and the step schedule will remain at its 2012-13 level, with some exceptions, for three years.

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Teachers who joined the district after July 1, however, would get a “completely new compensation framework” instead of the traditional steps system.

The overhaul of compensation for new teachers will help the district financially because it is designed to comply with the state-mandated tax levy cap, which limits the amount of annual tax revenue increases to the lesser of two percent or inflation, albeit with some exceptions.

“While compensating employees fairly and providing opportunities and benefits afforded to current teachers, the new framework contains future increases to an amount within the allowable annual tax levy (tax cap) limit

“The agreement provides for fair compensation relative to the economic climate while raising professional expectations and accountability.”

The deal requires approval from both the school board and BTA membership, the announcement states, and the union is slated to vote in September. The school board will vote after the BTA does so.


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