New deal for Seaford teachers

Teachers in Seaford are working with a contract again. The school district and union officially reached an accord for the new school year, with the Board of Education approving the four-year contract on Sept. 3 and United Teachers of Seaford ratifying it the following day.

Teachers have been without a contract since July 1, 2014. The new agreement covers 2014-15 and three years going forward. “We’re very happy to have that stability of working with a contract,” said Margaret Glancy, president of United Teachers of Seaford and a teacher at the Seaford Harbor School.

The settlement of the teachers’ contract now means that agreements are in place with all bargaining units. “Both sides — we made compromises,” school board President Bruce Kahn said. “I think we reached a good deal.”

The contract does not include retroactive raises for last year, but all teachers who were on staff last year will receive a one-time payment of $600. Those teachers received longevity-based step increases at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year.

Salaries were frozen to begin this school year, but on Feb. 1, teachers will receive 1 percent raises, in addition to step increases. Superintendent of Schools Brian Conboy said that delaying the step increment will allow the district to realize a half-year of savings.

There will be another 1 percent raise and step increases on Feb. 1, 2017. For the final year of the contract, teachers will receive their step increase at the beginning of the year — on July 1, 2017 — along with a .25 percent raise. Glancy said that some additional salary steps have also been added in, to cover gaps.

Salaries for teachers total nearly $30 million for this year. The district’s budget is $63.6 million.

Teachers will also contribute more to their health insurances premiums. Their contribution rates will rise gradually from 17.25 to 20 percent by the final year of the contract, which is consistent with other districts in the area.

Stipends for teachers for advising extracurricular activities or coaching teams will increase 1 percent this year and next year, and .25 percent in 2017. And for the first time, occupational therapists and physical therapists will be covered under the teachers’ contract.

Teachers who notify the district of their intent to retire by March 1 will be eligible for a retirement incentive, a one-time $10,000 payment. The incentive is not new, but the notification date was previously April 1. Conboy said that moving the date up a month will help the district plan its budget for the following year.

A new clause has been added to the contract that allows teachers to donate their unused sick days to others who may be experiencing long-term illnesses.

“I believe we got a fair agreement for both sides,” said Conboy, adding that the settlement is the result of “some pretty hard negotiations from both sides.”

“Our goal was to achieve a contract that would be fair to the teachers and financially doable for the district,” Glancy added. “We’re very aware of the times that we’re living in.”

She said that the teachers understand the financial pressures the district is under, with the state tax cap and other limitations, but they also wanted to make sure they got a fair deal. After 19 months of negotiations, she said, she is glad to have a long-term contract in place. “It allows us to focus on the job of education,” she said, “which is what we’re all here for.”