Politics & Government

[Updated 11:45 a.m.] South Windsor School Board Approves Contracts, Releases Details

Teachers will realize an average of an 8.34 percent wage increase over three years, while administrators will receive a 7.04 percent increase in wages over four years.

[Updated 11:45 a.m. Wednesday]

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kate Carter released the wage information for the agreements. South Windsor teachers will realize an average of an 8.34 percent wage increase spread out over a period of three years starting in the 2013-14 school year.

The agreement calls for general wage increases of 1.5 percent in 2013-14, 1.75 percent in 2014-15 and 1.5 percent in 2015-16. Step movements will be granted for teachers not at the top step in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Find out what's happening in South Windsorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The agreement is broken down as follows:

2013-14:

Find out what's happening in South Windsorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

General wage increase for all teachers: 1.5 percent

Step movement granted for teachers not at top step.

Total cost to the Board = 3.35 percent

2014-15:

General wage increase for all teachers: 1.75 percent

No step movement will be granted

Total cost to the Board = 1.75 percent

2015-16:

General wage increase for all teachers: 1.5 percent

Step movement granted for teachers not at top step

Total cost to the Board = 3.24 percent

The administrators' contract is a four-year deal that calls for a 7.05 percent wage increase over the agreement's life. The first year of the deal calls for a wage and step freeze in 2013-14, with annual increases of 2.03 percent in 2014-15, 1.66 percent in 2015-16 and 2 percent in 2016-17, respectively.

Step movements in those years - from 2014-15 through 2016-17 are also available.

The adminsitrators' agreement is broken down as follows:

2013-14:

There shall be no wage increase or step movement granted

Total cost to the Board = 0 percent

2014-15:

Wage increase for all administrators: 2.03 percent

Step movement granted

Total cost to the Board = 2.65 percent

2015-16:

Wage increase for all administrators: 1.66 percent

Step movement granted

Total cost to the Board = 2.15 percent

2016-17:

Wage increase for all administrators: 2 percent

Step movement granted

Total cost to the Board = 2.25 percent.

In addition, Dr. Carter noted in her e-mail that both bargaining units agreed to health insurance premium cost sharing increases.

"Specifically, the teachers’ premium cost share of 18 percent shall increase to 19 percent in 2013-14, 20 percent in 2014-15 and 21 percent in 2015-16," Dr. Carter wrote. "The administrators’ premium cost share shall be 18 percent in 2013-2014, 19 percent in 2014-15, 20 percent in 2015-2016, and 21 percent in 2016-17."

[Original story] The South Windsor Board of Education in its meeting Tuesday evening unanimously approved two collective bargaining agreements without discussion.

The details of the agreements - such as wage increases and the length of the extensions - remain a secret, however, as the school board and the superintendent of schools declined to reveal any information contained within them.

The contracts that were approved were for the South Windsor Education Association - the teachers’ union - as well as the South Windsor Administrators’ Association.

Despite the agreements being approved in open session after an executive session, School board Chairman David Joy said that he would not discuss any of the contracts’ provisions. He then referred inquiries to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kate Carter.

Carter also declined to provide any information on the agreements, stating that she would provide additional information at an unspecified date.

When South Windsor Patch asked to view the agreements, Joy said that they were not on site. He did not elaborate how the school board or the superintendent discussed the agreements in executive session and approved them in open session without having the agreements on site.

In other business, Daniel Hansen, assistant superintendent, curriculum and instruction, discussed the various ways that the South Windsor schools observed Veterans Day. Every school except P.R. Smith Elementary School had a major ceremony on Monday. P.R. Smith will have its ceremony on Nov. 16.

Carter said that South Windsor High was selected to the AP Honor Roll for extending its offering of advanced placement courses while also maintaining or increasing the percentage of students who score 3 or higher on the exams.

[Clarification - the original article was modified to remove that the contracts were extensions.]


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here