Press Release
Easton Area School District reaches progressive contract agreement with District’s teaching staff
EASTON (December 21, 2007) -- A quality education doesn’t just happen. It’s built one student at a time by caring and committed educators, the right resources and supportive communities.
That’s the philosophy that drove the Easton Area School District and the Easton Area Education Association to develop a teacher contract negotiation process that kept the focus on students, their education and the future of the Easton Area School District. In the end, the school district and the teachers’ association achieved a five-year contract that both agree is fair and in the best interest of the students and the future of the school district.
“When we entered these negotiations, our mutual goal was to do our best to keep our eyes on the prize – the students,” said Joseph Kish, Acting Superintendent. “I’m proud to report that we were successful.
“Today, we want to officially announce that we have negotiated, through a collaborative process, a contract that respects the professionalism of our teaching staff, strengthens the length and rigor of the school day and school year, provides expanded time for teachers to engage in professional development, and positions the school district to enhance its ability to keep and attract outstanding teachers by, among other things, increasing salaries by nearly 4.96 percent.”
EAEA President Kevin Deely agreed.
“As an educator and president of the Easton Area Education Association, I think it’s important to emphasize that this new agreement is student focused,” he said. “As such, it will require more of our teachers, including longer work days, a longer school year and increases in health care cost sharing.”
Deely said the association agreed to those and other significant changes “because we – the teachers, the district and the community -- must do all that we can together to help our students succeed in school and in life.”
The Association President said the terms of this contract will allow more time for teachers to teach, for teachers to respond to the individual needs of students, for teachers to engage in more meaningful professional development, and for teachers to better respond to the demands required of schools under the No Child Left Behind Act.”
Key components of the agreement includes:
• Increasing the length of the school year from 184 days to 190 days
• Increasing the length of the teacher work day from 7 hours and 20 minutes to seven hours and 40 minutes
• Doubling the employee contribution for health care coverage from $70 to $140 by the end of the five-year agreement
• Increasing professional development time for teachers
• Increasing teacher salaries by an average of about 4.96 percent in each year of the five year agreement
Deely and Kish said the salary levels will strengthen Easton’s ability to compete with other area school districts for highly talented teachers.
“Keeping and attracting the best and the brightest teachers has become a major problem for Easton and other urban school districts,” said Kish. “We believe this agreement strengthens our efforts in that area and demonstrates the District’s respects and appreciation for the high level of competence and contributions of our current teaching staff.”
