A look at the new teacher’s contract

By Crystal Hayduk

The official contractual agreement between the Chelsea School District (CSD) and the Chelsea Education Association (CEA) became effective on March 23, following an affirmative vote by the Chelsea School District Board of Education (BOE) at the regular meeting.

The contract runs through June 30, 2016 and is not retroactive under the terms of state law. “Certified educational personnel” in the K-12 program are represented by the CEA.

Under state of Michigan requirements for reporting transparency, the full document of nearly 120 pages is available for public viewing through the Budget and Salary/Compensation link on the district’s home page here or directly by clicking here.

According to Superintendent Andy Ingall, the two primary changes from the previous contract involve benefits and wages.

The CEA will be permitted to choose its insurance plan and provider for the 2015-16 school year. However, district financial contributions will remain unchanged.

Union-represented employees will receive a step increase in pay for the 2015-16 school year, while those already residing at the top step will receive a wage increase of 0.25 percent.

Other major changes include (but are not limited to) the addition of a world language department chairperson and a music department coordinator; pay adjustment for junior varsity and freshman coaches; and the addition of language defining the maximum class load at the middle and high school level: “Except in certain activity-type classes such as physical education, music, and study hall, the average student load for teachers shall not exceed 135 students per day per trimester.”

Ingall said that the district is still in the process of evaluating health insurance options for employees not covered under the terms of the agreement. “Our goal is to provide high quality coverage and customer service at a cost effective price,” he wrote in a letter to employees.

CEA President Rick Catherman said in a written statement, “The goal of the Chelsea Education Association is always to provide a contract that we believe will provide our schools and community the best opportunity to attract and retain the highest quality teachers for our students. The CEA believes that the agreement recently ratified by both the Chelsea Education Association and the Chelsea School Board is a positive agreement for both parties.”

The statement continued, “The teachers and the Chelsea Board of Education were able to come to an agreement on a change of health insurance provider and programs, salary, advanced degree placement, leadership positions, and many other areas. These changes will benefit our teachers, our students, and our school district.”

“We finally found some middle ground that we could all live with,” said Ingall. “I appreciate the hard work of both sides who worked on a solution until the last minute.”

According to Catherman, negotiations for the next contract usually begin in spring of the year a contract is due to expire. “If that schedule continues, then the two parties will most likely begin negotiations for the next contract in March or April of 2016,” he said.