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School board OKs contracts with teachers, other workers
By Danny restivo
GIRARD
The city school board has approved new contracts with teachers and nonteaching employees.
The board approved the agreements at a special meeting Thursday night.
“I truly appreciate the dedication and hard work that Girard teachers exhibit every day,” said Superintendent David Cappuzzello. “I appreciate their cooperation coming to an agreement, which reflects their understanding of today’s economy and state budget cuts.”
Under the three-year contract, which starts Aug. 24, teachers and public school employees agreed to a zero percent pay increase for the upcoming year, with a 1 percent pay increase the following two years. Though it’s less than previous years, union representatives said the agreement was fair.
“I thought the negotiations went well,” said Girard Education Association President Edward Fabrizio. He has taught for 25 years and said having the ability to negotiate contracts is key to a good working relationship.
“It speaks to the fairness of collective bargaining,” he said.
The new contract states that a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree will make $30,221 a year, while at the top of the pay scale a teacher with 27 years and a master’s degree can make $73,678 a year.
The pay rates for the district’s classified employees were not available during the meeting.
The new agreement said teachers and employees hired after 2008 will pay 10 percent of their health insurance premiums, while those hired before will pay at 5 percent. In the final year of the contract, all employees will pay 10 percent.
According to the contract, the insurance premium for an employee with a family would range from $1,099.64 to $1,382.05 a month, depending upon the plan selected. A single- employee rate would range from $422.44 to $531.36 monthly.
The new contract also said teachers will be paid twice a month, rather than biweekly. Girard schools open Aug. 21.