(News update) Teachers to get step increases in pay, no cost of living adjustments

Friday, March 12, 2010

Posted at 6:40 p.m. Friday

Teachers and other school employees will forgo any cost of living pay increases next school year but will receive salary step increases based on years of service.

The two school employee unions reached an agreement with the St. Mary's school board Thursday afternoon over next fiscal year pay issues in negotiated contracts.

The agreements provide for step recovery for the merit step not received by qualifying staff during the 2009-2010 school year, which will now be received in October 2010. For the 2010-2011 school year, the merit step will be implemented in April 2011.

"The step recovery and getting the step for next year were the top two vote-getters on a member survey" done last fall, said Wanda Twigg, president of the teachers' union. "It's what folks said that they wanted and what we focused on and tried really hard to get."

Each year to fully fund a step increase for all school employees costs about $2.2 million, Twigg said.

Staff who do not receive a salary increase for either of the two steps listed above will receive a $750 one-time stipend on June 30, 2011.

"We are disappointed that there are no [cost of living raises]. We feel our folks work really hard and deserve that," Twigg said.

The Education Association of St. Mary's County and the Collective Education Association of St. Mary's County negotiating teams have been working with a negotiating team representing the school board since the fall of 2009 to develop agreements.

"The success of our students is greatly dependent upon our outstanding staff. I talk about this every day," Superintendent Michael Martirano said in a statement. "Even in these economic times, while being fiscally responsible, I have made it a top priority to fairly compensate our staff, even at a minimal level, for the outstanding work that they do today in building strong futures for tomorrow. Our highly effective teachers, our support staff, and the leadership of our administration do so much with the limited resources we have to make St. Mary's County Public Schools one of the leading school systems in the state."

The agreements also cover several topics with each association that will be explored by study committees for future consideration. Topics include extra pay for extra duty/stipends, compensatory time, salary scales, advancement opportunities, and evaluations.

jyeatman@somdnews.com