STATEMENT FROM JAY LEVIN, GREAT VALLEY SCHOOL BOARD SPOKESMAN FOR TEACHER CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

STATEMENT FROM JAY LEVIN, GREAT VALLEY SCHOOL BOARD SPOKESPERSON FOR TEACHER CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

Good evening. As most of you are aware, negotiations between the Great Valley School Board Negotiation Team and the Great Valley Education Association, the union representing our district’s teachers, have been ongoing throughout the summer. At our most recent session, which occurred on August 12, the School Board enthusiastically presented a proposal which represented significant movement on our part in the areas of salary and the benefits. Our proposal also addressed the time related needs of our teachers and, in fact, provided additional benefits in exchange for adding fifteen minutes to the length of the work day. We were eager to share this newly-developed proposal and had hoped to announce tonight that a tentative agreement had been reached. Unfortunately, one has not. In fact, without giving it any more than a cursory look, representatives for the teacher’s union rejected our offer and dismissed our request to schedule another meeting for this week.

We would like to share with you the details of our newest four-year proposal at this time. They are as follows:

SALARY: Salary increases are 4 percent, 4 percent, 3 percent and 3 percent in each respective year of the contract. Under this salary proposal, the average teacher would earn $74,949 at the end of the contract, a teacher at Master’s maximum would earn $83,096 and a Doctorate level teacher would earn $95,662.

MEDICAL INSURANCE: Under the Board’s newest proposal, the district will fund 94 percent of Personal Choice 10/20/70 in year one, 92 percent in year two, 90 percent in year three and 89 percent in year four. In addition, all newly hired teachers will be enrolled in the Personal Choice 310 plan. The district will fund 100 percent of an individual plan and 95 percent of a family plan.

TEACHER WORK DAY: Another key component of our new proposal provides teachers with time for completing student assessments, IEPs and ISTs by adding fifteen additional minutes to each work day. The School Board feels so strongly about the importance of this extra time that we have presented an appealing addendum proposal which is contingent upon the union’s acceptance of these additional fifteen minutes. Highlights of the addendum proposal are as follows:

Retirement pay-outs ranging from $45 per day to $60 per day for unused sick time.
The granting of one academic period per day to perform department duties for high school chairpersons in Language Arts, Science, Mathematics and Social Studies.
The continuation of paid medical coverage for five years following retirement for those who retire at the end of the 2004-2005 or 2005-2006 school year.

As I said earlier, we were eager to present this proposal on Thursday night and were quite surprised that it was rejected. During late July and early August, the School Board agreed to eliminate the cost sharing component on our dental and a prescription plans. We also increased tuition reimbursements by 100%. We were expecting to see some flexibility on the part of the teacher’s union. Instead, the union’s current proposal remains insensitive to the financial issues facing our school district and our taxpayers.

The union’s most recent proposal, received by us on August 9, calls for the following:

SALARY: The union’s proposal calls for salary increases of 5.5 percent per year for each of four years.
INSURANCE: The union’s proposal offers only a flat figure insurance contribution of $100 per year for an individual and $300 per year for a family on Personal Choice 5/15/70. The union has no plan to increase this contribution, despite the fact that insurance premiums are increasing at a rate of 18% per year.
RETIREMENT INCENTIVES: The union’s proposal calls for retirement pay-outs ranging from $60 per day to $80 per day for unused sick time. It also requires continuation of paid medical, dental, vision and prescription coverage for teachers and their spouse for twelve years after retirement or a pay out of $50,000.
LEAVE FROM TEACHING: The teacher’s union’s proposal enables representatives of the union to take up to twelve days of leave per year to attend union conferences. This is an increase from the current contract, which allows nine days.
MAINTAINING THE CURRENT WORK DAY: The union refuses to even discuss the need for fifteen additional minutes in the work day – a window of time which could be instrumental in enabling teachers to complete student assessments and paperwork.

We are disheartened by both the lack of flexibility that the teacher’s union has demonstrated and the fact that we are well into August with no future meeting date scheduled. The union’s chief negotiator declined our offer to meet this week and will be vacationing for the next two weeks thereafter. It is our sincere hope that when talks do reconvene, the teacher’s union recommits itself to negotiations. For the sake of our students -- we need that commitment.

The School Board Negotiating Team is confident in its current proposal and feels that it is supportive of both teachers and our taxpaying community members. We encourage you to get details on our proposal by visiting the district website, www.gvsd.org. Thank you.

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