At the Board of Education Reorganization Meeting on July 1st, Jim Gounaris was sworn in as the 2014-2015 Board of Education President. Nancy Feinstein will continue as Vice President and Christine Turner as the Parliamentarian.
At the regular BOE meeting, Board President, Jim Gounaris, announced that the BOE had come to an agreement with the HTA on a successor teacher contract. The Board and HTA worked together since January to come to the agreement that was reached on June 19, 2014.
Below are the terms of the agreement reached:
- The new four year agreement runs from July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2018
- Salary 2014 - 2015 - Current salary schedule - 0% Freeze. Step movement for members over Step 15
- Salary 2015 - 2016 - 1% in Sept. - Step deferred to Feb 1, 2016
- Salary 2016 - 2017 - 1% in Sept. - Step deferred to Feb 1, 2017
- Salary 2017 - 2018 -1% + step
- New hires will be paid $2000 less than current salary schedule in their first year.
- In the second year, new hires will be paid at the same step but with no decrease in salary
- $1000 received by any member, above step 15 and not first eligible to retire, who notifies District by Dec. break of intent to retire on June 30, 2015
- Health insurance 20% effective July 1, 2014
- Health insurance 21.5% effective July 1, 2015
- Health insurance 23% effective July 1, 2016
- Health insurance 25% effective July 1, 2017
- Allow use of up to four sick days for bereavement in each case of death of parent-in-law, grandparent and grandparent in-law, sister/brother-in-law.
- Two additional Professional Development days (Total days from 183 to 185)
- First five Snow/Emergency days are not made up provided the District has at least 180 days as required by NYS.
- Coaches and extra curricula - No increase of pay for length of contract.
- Coaches and extra curricula - No priority for Herricks teachers.
- Coaching positions vacated annually
- Reduction of salaries proportionately if Section 8 reduces length of sports season.
- Coaches who provide supervision of students while waiting for practice to start will receive lowest intramural rate.
(Negotiations is a process of give and take. The current climate of the 2% Tax Cap, State Mandates and other factors made this compromise even more difficult. The HTA and the District needed to find the best balance that would benefit both parties and help to maintain the quality of education in our premier Herricks District. Both parties worked hard to find a meeting ground. The HTA's PNC worked honestly and with integrity to find a solution. The HTA made some concessions, but stayed strong on a number of sticking points that they felt they could not concede on in order to continue to provide members a fair and equitable agreement and high caliber educational experience.)
Other information disseminated at BOE meeting:
- New 2014 -2015 calendar adopted.
Note changes on revised calendar: Added to Tues., Sept. 2 and Tues., Nov. 4th are Mon., Dec. 22nd and Wed., April 1st as Staff Development Days. Thurs.,April 9 and Fri., April 10 are Contingency Days (#2, #1 - only if five other days are used)
- New 2015-2016 calendar adopted.
Note changes on revised calendar: Added to Mon., Aug 31 and Tues., Nov. 3 are Tues., Sept. 1 and Fri., April 22 as Staff Development Days. Mon., March 28 is a Contingency Day - only if five other days are used. Spring Recess April 25 - 29.
In unity,
Nidya