Pelham teacher contract in voters’ hands

Salem Editor — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 19:43:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

It will be a day of relief – or disappointment – for Pelham’s teachers.

On Tuesday, Oct. 23, voters will approve or reject a three-year contract between the school district and the Pelham Education Association.

“In comparison to surrounding towns, it’s a very competitive contract, keeping teachers, but it’s not breaking the bank,” said School Board Chairman Bruce Couture.

Residents will cast their ballots from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Memorial School.

The special school district warrant article that voters will read when they go to the polls calls for increases in salaries and benefits of $283,514 in 2007- 08, $324,437 in 2008-09, and $340,600 in 2009-2010.

The School Board supports the new agreement while the budget committee does not.

After voters rejected a teacher contract last March, representatives of the school district and the teachers union returned to the bargaining table and revised the agreement.

A Superior Court judge granted permission to hold the special election.

The rejected contract called for salary increases averaging 5 percent each year. Under the revised agreement, increases would average 3.5 percent in the first year, 3.99 percent in the second year, and 4 percent in the third year.

Salaries would go up $1,760 in 2007-08, $1,840 in 2008-09, and $1,920 in 2009-10.

A teacher with a bachelor’s degree who earned $31,340 last year, for example, would see his or her salary increase to $33,100 this year at the next career step. That salary would increase to $34,940 and $36,860 the following two years.

One of the opponents of the contract is Budget Committee Chairman John Lavallee, who told voters at a deliberative session that he was against it because teachers should be contributing more toward their health insurance premiums and because of the increase in extracurricular position stipends and their costs.

Currently, the school district pays the equivalent of 85 percent of the most expensive health insurance plan toward all plans.

So for cheaper plans, the district is paying more than 85 percent.

Like the rejected agreement, the revised contract calls for the district’s contribution to decrease to 80 percent by the third year.

“They did give us concessions in health care,” Couture said of the union. “It’s not perfect but it’s a start.”

Like the rejected contract, the revised agreement calls for stipends for extracurricular positions to increase 3.5 percent in the first year and stay flat for the second and third years. The revised agreement, however, includes nine new extracurricular positions.

Sue Harden, president of the 147-member teachers union, said proposed raises are in line with increases other school workers have received.

“It’s important that we keep our good teachers in Pelham,” she said.

In hopes of getting the contract approved, union workers have made phone calls and mailed out post cards, concentrating their efforts on parents of students and other people they believe will be supportive.

“We really hope this goes well, and from ... our calling we believe the community is behind us,” she said.

Pelham News : contract

Pelham teacher contract in voters’ hands