Town Council, School Committee and Teacher's Alliance Join to Ratify New Agreement
The new contract is not expected to require tax increases.
At a meeting held on March 1, the School Committee, Town Council and Teacher’s Alliance of Coventry ratified a new three year agreement. According to school department officials, the contract will not result in any anticipated tax increases for Coventry residents.
"In these challenging fiscal times, all parties came to the bargaining table and agreed to a contract that is fair to taxpayers, fair to our students and fair to the teaching professionals," stated a release from committee and department members. "The members of the Coventry Teacher’s Alliance made significant but necessary economic concessions in order to reach this accord."
The release also offered a note to taxpayers: "While we do not anticipate funding increases for contractual obligations, the schools continue to have capital needs, and projected housing development could place an added burden on our schools in future years."
Over the course of the 3 year agreement:
• There will be a salary freeze and step freeze for teachers during the first year of the agreement
• Teachers will increase their contribution to their healthcare insurance premiums from 15% to 18% over the three years of the agreement.
• Teachers have increased their healthcare co-pays for office visits, urgi-care and emergency room treatment.
• The Coventry School Committee and the Coventry Teachers’ Alliance have agreed to establish a joint committee to research the future of the district healthcare plan and identify new, cost-effective healthcare options.
• There has been a complete restructuring of the longevity scale. This will achieve significant savings over the course of this contract and beyond.
• New criteria, beyond mere seniority, for certain specialized positions.
• A Coventry developed and RIDE approved new educator evaluation system is now a part of the agreement.
• The “no layoff clause” has been removed.
• Increased management rights.
• Savings in the areas above will allow for a salary increase in years 2 and 3 however, there is no anticipated increase to taxpayers for the next three years to fund the contractual obligations.
coventry voter-Jay
3:43 pm on Monday, March 12, 2012
Change the mindset that next years new contract is a continuation of this ending contract. In the real world a contract has a shelf life with a start and end date. After the end date we start fresh get it. A contract should not last for more years than you can guarantee the funding source within. SO if you cannot guarantee a towns income three years from now how can you possibly guarantee pay raises three years out never mind a ten year step program.
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There is no place in our current society for public labor contracts. It's just not needed. These are not sweat shops and teachers will never be made to toll long hours at hard labor in unsafe environments. All these contracts do is guarantee income to both the quality teacher and under performing alike while enslaving the taxpayers to a contract that has unrealistic expectations giving today's vulnerable economic conditions. The Unions want to guarantee the income, raises and off time to their members. Read them for your self. You might think working for a school dept would be like a trip to the Gulag without these contracts and its just not the case.
coventry voter-Jay
3:48 pm on Monday, March 12, 2012
While all items in this artical look good on the surface I want to see what tipped the scale in the towns favor. I dont think the CTA gave up 3 years of raises without getting it back someplace. But time will tell and I will be waiting for the other shoe to drop.