FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 10/26/04
CONTACT: Chuck Linderman, 610-889-2125 ext. 2123
WITH ORIGINAL NEGOTATION GOALS MET, GREAT VALLEY SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES
5-YEAR CONTRACT
October 26, 2004…Pleased that the negotiation goals it had established last January have been successfully achieved, the Great Valley School approved a five-year contract with the district’s teachers this evening. “This contract was truly a win-win for all parties,” stressed School Board President, Kathy Pettiss. “Our goal of continuing to foster a positive environment for teachers and students stayed intact during this ten month process and all of our other goals were achieved. We are very thankful to the Board negotiations team for their hard work and perseverance throughout the process.”
School Board chief negotiator, Jay Levin, then highlighted the final outcomes for each of the major goals of the School Board:
Addressing the
time related needs of teachers and students
Under the newly approved contract, 15 additional minutes have been added to the teacher workday starting with two days per week during the current school year and increasing annually to 5 days per week by the 2008-2009 school year. Coupling this 15 minutes with 30 minutes of non-instructional time already available provides teachers with the opportunity to prepare individualized education plans, participate in instructional support teams, work on assessments/grading and many other collaborative efforts – all key steps in increasing student achievement and achieving the goals of our district’s Strategic Plan.
Offering a
competitive salary proposal designed to attract and retain teachers
The new contract provides teachers with an average salary increase of 4.25% per year, right in line with Philadelphia’s Consumer Price Index, which was 4.2% in August. Under this contract, the average teacher’s salary will be $ 76,288 at the end of the contract period while teachers at the beginning step of the salary schedule will earn $44,802 by the 2008-2009 school year – allowing the district to attract and retain high quality teachers. Also, teachers pursuing graduate level degrees will benefit from tuition reimbursements ranging from $3,300 in during 2004-2005 to $3,600 by the 2006-2007 school year. Continued training and development is important to the board and to the GVEA as we jointly provide the best quality teaching for our students.
Reduce escalating
health care costs through a new cost-sharing provision
The newly approved contract now includes employee cost sharing of health insurance costs and a change in the medical insurance plan, a move which will save the school district an estimated $ 1.75 million over the length of the contract. Teachers will be offered Personal Choice 5/15/70 and will pay almost $800,000 toward premiums during the life of the contract. Teachers will now pay almost $125,000 over the length of the contract toward their dental insurance. The new 10/15/20 formulary prescription plan will results in a savings of over $175,000 for the life of the contract.
Jay Levin stated that, “Although we had disagreements during the process, that in no way diminished the great respect and admiration that we hold for our teachers. We are well aware and appreciate the hard work and long hours that our quality teachers give to insure that our students receive a high quality education.”
William Beyer, spokesperson for the Great Valley Education Association echoed Levin’s comments and added, “The teachers of Great Valley are satisfied that ten months of bargaining have ended in a settlement. Although there were difficult issues to resolve, the board and the association were able to compromise, and the negotiation process worked. The resulting contract benefits the teachers, the district, and the entire Great Valley community. The teachers can now turn their attention to what they continue to do as well as any teachers in the state of Pennsylvania--providing a top quality education for every one of their students.”
Both the School Board and the GVEA are enthusiastic about putting negotiations behind them and focusing on Great Valley’s most valuable assets – its students.
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