Struthers BOE OKs new 3-year teachers pact with raises

June 4, 2014 at 12:05a.m.

By EMMALEE C. TORISK

STRUTHERS

The district’s approximately 130 teachers will begin the 2014-15 school year with a 1.95 percent raise — their first base salary increase in four years.

They’ll also receive this raise in each of the next two school years, 2015-16 and 2016-17, per the terms outlined in the Struthers Education Association’s new three-year contract, which was ratified by the Struthers Board of Education during a special meeting Tuesday morning, said Joseph Nohra, superintendent of Struthers City Schools.

The union itself approved the contract Monday.

Under the new agreement, a new hire with a bachelor’s degree would earn $31,724 annually in 2014-15, then approximately $32,343 in 2015-16 and $32,974 in 2016-17.

Likewise, a teacher with a master’s degree and 27 years of service would make $69,158 in the coming school year. In 2015-16, this salary would increase to about $70,507 and to $71,882 in 2016-17.

Over the next three school years, these annual 1.95 percent increases to teachers’ base salaries will cost the district a total of $514,566, said Arthur Ginnetti III, the district’s treasurer.

Robert Noble, board president, said there have been only a “handful of years” that the district’s teachers have been granted raises. Before the salary freeze in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14, teachers had a 3 percent raise in 2007-08 and 2008-09, along with a 2 percent raise in 2009-10 and 2010-11.

“We felt that was fair,” added Noble, referring to the new contract’s salary increases.

Teachers will be responsible for paying more — an additional 2 percent, from 8 to 10 percent — toward their health benefits, however. In addition, they’ll receive a reduced stipend of $1,700 instead of $2,400 for a spouse who is not enrolled in the district’s health care plan.

Nohra noted that the board and the union also settled on contract language concerning the state’s new system for evaluating teachers, named the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System. Districts statewide must implement OTES, which measures both student growth and teacher performance, by the fall.

Both Nohra and Noble said they were pleased with those OTES discussions, especially since, as Noble explained, the evaluation system has been “a real sticking point for many school districts” that has “kept [them] from ratifying contracts.”

The new agreement between the board and the union, for example, details procedures for implementing a reduction-in-force plan, Noble said. Now, the district can first reduce those teachers found to be ineffective, instead of teachers with less seniority.

Noble said that from the time contract negotiations began in April, there had been “give and take,” with the board being “very honest and open about what we had and what we could do.” The union “responded to that,” he explained.

Nohra said, too, that discussions were fair and amicable, as the SEA didn’t have “extravagant requests” and understood the present “fiscal status and operating status of the district.”

Terri Rogan, president of the SEA, added: “It went very well. I think [the contract] is reasonable.”

The district is still working to settle a contract with the Ohio Association of Public School Employees, which includes bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians and secretaries. Negotiations have been ongoing since May.

“We’ve had good discussions, and we continue to work,” Nohra said.