Two Steps Forward
There has been some discussion about the next year's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and the raise that it provides to teachers. In order to explain the raises that some, but not all, will earn, we will have to explain what is a step and how is it different from a cost of living adjustment (COLA).
First, a comparison between last year's contract and this year's proposed contract:
The 2019 warrant article gave teachers a 2.5% increase and one step for those that are not at step 13.
The 2020 warrant article gives teachers a 2% increase and for those who did not receive their step increase last year will see an additional step. For those hired this year or already at step 13 they will receive one step or no steps respectively.
An important comparison is the total estimated increase. As you can see, the CBA on this year's article 2 is just over $57,000 less than the previous year's proposal. A great deal for the taxpayers! In the new CBA teachers receive a still competitive COLA compared to other districts(a proposed 2% in the 2020/2021 versus .4% and .3% that was in the last successful contract) and a savings to the district in health insurance by switching to a less expensive plan with a deductible and higher out-of-pocket expense for the teacher.
Some would argue that the district and the taxpayers of Wakefield are not realizing the savings in health insurance since teachers are seeing an increase in pay. If you believe that teachers are already overpaid then you are probably correct. However the Wakefield Education Association considers an annual COLA that is inline with regional districts, the state average, and the Social Security benefits COLA. You can see how Wakefield's pay has changed each year in comparison with Social Security in the image below.
As you can see, our average COLA is well below the Social Security COLA average and even with a 2% and 1.5% increase for the next two years, the districts average COLA will still be below the Social Security average.
Despite what you may hear, a teacher's steps are not a COLA as teachers stop earning steps after 13 years of experience. Without the negotiated COLA in the proposed contract, a teacher at step 13 would see little to no increase in pay. A teacher earns a step for each year worked as a teacher. Because the new teacher's contract failed to pass by 67 votes in 2019, teachers remained on their step for the 2019-2020 school year saw no increase in wage due to a step increase or a COLA.
A two step increase is necessary to keep our teachers at a competitive salary among other districts. It is an expensive and laborious process to hire a new teacher when one decides to work elsewhere and we need to keep the talent we have. Take the 7th and 8th grade science teacher, Mr. Gavin Kearns for example. In the 2018-2019 school year he was on step eight of the salary schedule with this being his eighth year of experience. Due to the contract failing, he remained at step eight for the current year (2019-2020). At the end of the current year, he will have nine years of experience but only be paid for eight. If the contract fails and he went to another district, he would be hired at the correct step and see a greater pay increase than if he simply remained in the district. If a new science teacher was hired, they would be placed on the correct step and paid for the correct number of years of experience.
The new contract is less expensive than last year's, maintains a competitive COLA, and includes a less expensive health insurance plan which is offset by the teachers paying a deductible and higher maximum out-of-pocket expenses.