School Committee, CTA settle contract

The School Committee announced on October 20 that after a long impasse, it has reached an agreement with the Canton Teachers Association on a one-year contract. The contract covers the current school year and will expire on August 31, 2012.

The contract calls for no salary increases or cost of living adjustments (COLA), and in return the School Committee agreed to form an advisory committee with representatives of the CTA to review steps and lanes.

The steps and lanes — which include built-in pay raises for years of service as well as educational advancement — had been a major obstacle early in the negotiations. The committee had sought to double the number of steps that would be needed to reach the top of the pay scale.

Attending the meeting was Selectman John Connolly, who participated with the School Committee on negotiations. The town, through selectmen, had previously settled with all municipal unions on one-year contracts with a 0 percent COLA. Connolly had said several times that if one union had settled on a wage increase, then it would have reopened negotiations for all other unions.

The schools now have two contracts left to be settled — one for the secretaries and one for the educational assistants — and Superintendent Jeff Granatino expects both to be finalized soon.

Bonnanzio said while both sides would have liked to reach a longer term contract with the teachers, there were a variety of issues that separated both sides.

“We do look forward to sitting down with the CTA as soon as possible to commence negotiations on a successor agreement,” he said.

Bonnanzio said the goal of the advisory committee will be to “shine a brighter light on the challenges present in the steps and lanes formula,” including the likelihood of ongoing budget cuts if the formula remains unchanged.

He added that the current contract does call for a one-year continuation of the Innovative Curriculum and Instruction Institute, which has been a tool to enhance professional development across the district. The program, developed four years ago, compensates teachers who create innovative approaches to lessons, units, or courses aligned with the goals identified within the district’s strategic plan.

Bonnanzio said there is also a one-year continuation of the teacher retirement stipend, which has helped bring qualified new teachers into the district with less of an impact on the budget.

The committee also agreed to a new pilot program to test early dismissal of classes on the Friday before the start of February vacation. Bonnanzio said the plan acknowledges the reality that a large portion of the school community is absent that day or leaves early in order to travel. Bonnanzio said the move will save on heating costs and will still meet the state requirement for a full day of classes.

Bonnanzio said the committee is eager to reach a long-term agreement with the teachers’ union.

“They are a hardworking group of dedicated professionals,” he said, “and we want to settle on a contract that rewards them for their efforts on behalf of our students, but does not put the district in an untenable financial situation. This is never an easy task, but the actions taken here put us in a better position to reach long-term goals and objectives.”

In other School Committee news:

* Veteran CHS teacher Elsa Nicolovius introduced the German exchange students to the committee. Approximately 1,500 students have participated in the program, which started in 1970. Two teachers who accompanied the German students this month were former exchange students themselves. Two other exchange students since 1970 had children who are now visiting Canton. Nicolovius said the German students will visit various historical and educational sites, including Plymouth Rock, Harvard University, the State House, the Boston Museum of Science, and New York City.

* Granatino reported that former K-12 wellness coordinator and interim Hansen School Principal Peter Boucher was named Wellness Coordinator of the Year by the MIAA.

* 50 CHS students, along with former CHS graduates, recently traveled to Boston to participate in the six-mile Breast Cancer Walk. Granatino said the group raised over $3,000 and were great representatives of the high school and the Canton community. He praised community service coordinator Ed Amico for exposing students to these activities.

* The new heating system at the Rodman Building has been completed, and Granatino and Bonnanzio thanked town meeting voters for authorizing the emergency repairs so the new heating system would be in place before the winter.

* Granatino reported that the new Kennedy School addition is ahead of schedule and could be completed early in 2012.

* The next School Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 3.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Oct 26 2011. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.