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School board approves teaching contract, sets budget timeline

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Left to right is Superintendent Thomas Ward, Chair Jennifer Zweig-Hebert and Directors Betsey Hyde of Temple, Cherieann Harrison of Wilton, Jennifer Pooler of New Sharon, Irving Faunce of Wilton, Helen Wilkey of Vienna, Doug Dunlap of Farmington and Richard Hargreaves of New Vineyard.

FARMINGTON – School board directors intend to hold a new round of deliberations for the Mt. Blue Regional School District 2017-18 budget in late June and a budget meeting in July, culminating with a second validation vote on July 27.

Earlier in the meeting, directors approved a new, three-year contract with the district’s teachers. The contract, which runs through 2020, includes a provision that increases each school day by 12 minutes. According to Superintendent Thomas Ward, that represents approximately one additional week per school year.

Not accounting for step increases, the contact includes a .75 percent wage increase in year one, a 1 percent increase in year two and a 1.25 percent increase in year three. Factoring in the step increases results in an overall increase of 1.96 percent in year 1, a 2.38 percent increase in year 2 and a 2.52 percent increase in year 3.

The new contract also does away with a requirement that teachers acquire a Masters degree within 10 years of being employed by the district. Along with the removal of that requirement, the contract caps the amount of reimbursement the district is required to provide for teachers to attend courses.

The contract was approved by all directors in attendance with the exception of Director Cherieann Harrison of Wilton and Director Jennifer Pooler of New Sharon, who were opposed.

Directors did not take up the administrative collective bargaining agreement, which was tabled after the board approved the teacher association contract.

Directors also agreed to a timeline for the 2017-18 school budget process, following last Tuesday’s vote against the proposed, $33.9 million budget. MBRSD residents rejected the budget by a vote of 1,457 in favor to 1,641 opposed. A bond issue question, which appeared on the same referendum, did pass by approximately 90 votes.

The timeline calls for budget deliberations to be held Tuesday, June 27; Thursday, June 29; and Thursday, July 6, with all meetings beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Mt. Blue Campus. The board would aim to set the proposed budget on July 6, signing warrants on July 11 and holding the district-wide budget meeting on July 18. The budget validation referendum would be held on July 27.

Directors asked administrators to generate a list of potential reductions. Harrison noted, however, that some directors had felt very strongly about some items added back into the budget prior to the May 31 budget meeting, and the board should expect some debate.

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17 Comments

  1. They wonder why the budget was voted down ? The increase in contracts might have something to do with that !!!

  2. Yes god forbid employees recieve raises. They should just keep paying them what they make when they are initially hired. That would surely result in quality staff that care!

  3. Not everyone gets a cst of living increase every year. It definitely doesn’t equal 2.5% in three years !!!! If they can’t live on what they make” the world needs plenty of bartenders”. My pay hasn’t increased in quite a few years actually if I want more money all I have to do is WORK more hours and then pay it all in taxes !!!!

  4. McDonalds is hiring they will be paying $12 soon as is many other places. Perhaps if the pay isnt enough they can pick up a night job like many of us that pay their salaries.

  5. Jesse although I am not a teacher nor married to one I understand some teachers actually do work extra jobs to make ends meet. As part of their day job (teaching) most teachers work well after school hours and during the summer getting ready to teach kids. Not sure that most “night jobs” require as much preparation. I would rather teachers not have to work night jobs so that they can prepare their lessons for the kids.

    I am not sure what you do for work but if you are unskilled then it is difficult to make more money without working more hours. That is the point of education- provide our kids with the ability to get better paying jobs. I also don’t know if you have kids but do you really suggest that kids should be taught by individuals who get on the job training like fast food workers. Teachers are skilled professionals who require 4 years of college to do their job.

    I am hoping you are being facetious.

  6. Jesse were you speaking to the 3% teaching time increase? Sounds like they did agree to more teaching hours in the year. “According to Superintendent Thomas Ward, that represents approximately one additional week per school year.” of teaching time. Sounds like they agreed to teach for 3% more time starting this year, and receive a 1.96 % increase for wages in the budget for this year, followed by 2.38% in year 2, and 2.52% in year three. Increased time teaching, 3%, increased wages over a three year period, that 6.86 % after the 3 rd year.

    Gee, if I subtract the 3% time increase given in the first year, thats 3.86 % wage increase over the three years, for an average of 1.29 % increase to the budget each year.

    Looks like a slight increase to me….since the teaching time went up the first year.

  7. Im a self employed logger and a CDL driver. I have many skills that allow me to do many other things as well. I have two kids in RSU 9 that do very well in school. Im saying that if the teachers need raises every year under contract there is something wrong. Some of the facts put out there about education is far from accurate. It’s always “for the kids” . What I’m saying is that the economy around here can’t support an ever increasing budget and reachers raises !!!!! See you at the budget meetings and polls !!! Oh wait this budget and teacher raises doesn’t have anything to do with you.

  8. Unfortunately Jessie doesn’t engage in public discourse, only throwing stones.

  9. Teachers are worth every penny. A whole lot of dedicated hours that is all consuming….24/7. It certainly is not the pay that makes a teacher, a teacher.

  10. @ smeagle

    1. You obviously don’t know me as well as you think, you can’t spell my name correctly (see above I do)
    2. Until you have the Sisu (see Finnish translation) to use your real name, you shouldn’t be talking about what others do.
    You have no idea what I do in the community!!!! Have a nice day.

  11. Sorry “Jesse”, didn’t realize you are so sensitive. If you can dish it…
    1. All State and town departments get small incremental raises and this article says they canceled the 10 year masters requirement which should decrease school spending in the K’s
    2. It’s a 10:27am on a weekday, time to get back to work.

    Have a great day.

  12. No requirement to get Master’s done away with! Great, a master’s doesn’t mean a better teacher, just looks better after the B.A. OR B.S. ANNNND it means more money for the holder of the extra degree. Also, it will save money because we won’t be paying for the extra degree OOOR the costs to obtain it i.e. reimbursement for course work. The raises teachers get, well I feel they deserve those increases. Administration??? That’s another matter. SOME are deserving and some are not! SOME positions should be eliminated in RSU9. ONLY the essentials should remain and those should be skilled in maintaining good P.R. and especially good relations, work ethics, and professional behaviors with teachers!!! DICTATORS SHOULD GO!!!

  13. I agree with Buckshot that Administrators are overpaid. And as far as administrative raises, I agree that some deserve it and some don’t.
    However, when it comes to teachers, how come I never hear that some teachers are deserving of the raise and some are not?? We all know the answer to that.

  14. This very thing is going on all across the country. MORE MONEY for education, over and over, year after year, I am just not seeing any results. For the most part the children that are smart have parents that start teaching them before they go to school.
    The problem is that parents have less and less time to raise children because they have to work so much.
    So if I have this right, the parents wouldn’t have to work so much if they have a better education which equals more money, right?
    Then why are the educated teachers and administrators working so many hours for so little money?
    Making more money doesn’t make you smarter. It doesn’t make you a better parent. It can buy a few more things and it can also get you further in debt.
    Why not just teach basic school skills and if there are those that want to go farther, let them. Quit trying to turn every child into Bill Gates, on the backs of plain working peoples taxes.

  15. Jesse….did you notice that when you oppose the District, you get lots of feedback? This district, for years, has had the pleasure of ramming a budget through with no opposition. Now that tax payers are finally fed up and are opposing the ridiculous budget, those that oppose them are considered “scum of the earth”? By some of the remarks being made, I think the Board is FINALLY getting the idea that they’ve GOT to make some changes, or they’re going to get voted down again.

  16. Things to do list; 1. Call your representative/school board member and ask them to make cuts, BIG CUTS to every unproven and unnecessary program in place or proposed for next year 2. Attend the July 18 budget meeting at MT BLUE and vote with your fellow taxpayers and neighbors on the unwarranted increases in each article of the budget 3.Finally, if the budget hasn’t been lowered to your satisfaction, VOTE NO on JULY 27 which is the budget validation referendum at your town’s location for voting. THANKS goes out to you all!

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