School secretaries get long-awaited contract

After two-and-a-half years without a new contract, Valley Stream school secretaries have a deal. The five year-contract includes retroactive pay raises, a salary freeze next year and a retirement incentive.

An agreement was reached on Nov. 17, and ratified four days later by members of the 94-member union, Valley Stream Teachers Association/Educational Office Personnel. Patrick Naglieri, vice president of VSTA, said the deal was overwhelmingly approved by members of the unit.

District 13 was the first Board of Education to sign off on the contract on Nov. 22, followed the next week by Districts 24 and 30. The deal became official when the Central High School District board gave its approval on Dec. 13.

The last contract expired on June 30, 2009. The deal includes 1.25 percent raises for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years, which will be paid retroactively. Secretaries will also be getting a 1.25 percent raise this year, including retroactive pay for the past six months.

The largest payout will be by the Central High School District, which employs half of the union’s members. It owes about $110,000 in retroactive pay for the past two-and-a-half years.

During the last year of the previous contract, salaries started at $32,922 for a first year typist, and ranged up to $73,963 for a junior accountant on the top Step.

Next year, 2012-2013, there will be no pay increase. However, secretaries will still receive their Step increment. Naglieri said this is known as a “soft freeze” because secretaries will get their longevity-based raises, but there will be no increase to the salary schedule.

The teachers’ contract, which was settled in June, also contains no pay increase for the 2012-13 school. But teachers will have a hard freeze on salaries, because there will be no Step increment, either. An additional difference between the two contracts, Naglieri noted, is that teachers will have their Step increments delayed by six months twice in their four-year deal, while secretaries receive their Step increase at the beginning of each school year.

Secretaries will receive a 1.25 raise in 2013-14, the final year of the agreement.