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Boston, teachers union sign contract

BPS and the BTU today announced a new contract that will give teachers a 2% raise for the fiscal year that ended June 30 and 3% this year.

According to BPS:

It also allows for school leaders to more easily facilitate the process of hiring teachers and paraprofessionals earlier in the school year, which has shown to result in more effective teachers in classrooms.

The contract, which covers the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years, also ensures properly trained paraprofessionals are supporting students with autism and emotional impairment. In addition, it increases the numbers of nurses in schools, extends access to the parental leave policy to second- and third-year teachers and paraprofessionals — bringing them in line with the City’s parental leave policy - and grows the promising Restorative Practice initiative to help foster social-emotional learning in a way that is aligned with the BPS Code of Conduct.

Negotiators worked on the deal for 18 months; the two sides will soon begin sitting down to negotiate a new contract that will start Sept. 1, 2018.

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Comments

This effect available funds for education and related materials. Most of BTU doesn't know this, but BPS is not a employment agency, it's set up for the benefit of kids from Boston.

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Well seeing as education does not happen without proper staff and proper staff are better retained by solid and predictable pay. this sounds like it will benefit education to me by reducing or slowing turn over and increasing moral. Since teachers are key to classroom learning seems likely there will be a benefit to education! As for the second part, many of the teachers will use their own funds for supplies so sounds like they now have a bit more compensation to spend on those supplies!*
*teachers spend on average $500/year on supplies. Not sure if The Boston average is higher or lower than that amount

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The reality is that teacher qualifications influence pay, and MA demands a lot of experience, training, and qualifications (BPS even more so) that, in turn, make our school systems truly world class.

If you want teachers who work for low pay, you can always go to Oklahoma. They pay so low that nobody will work there, and they have actually considered making it possible for people without a high school diploma or GED to "teach".

TL/DR: you get what you pay for.

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" they have actually considered making it possible for people without a high school diploma or GED to "teach"."

I'm interested in this one, but couldn't find any info searching about a proposal for this, just info on shortages & emergency certification -- can you provide a source?

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Citations needed!

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I'm torn. I want teachers to be paid more but BPS pays teachers a lot. More so than the surrounding cities. Teachers automatically get a pay increase each year. To give an additional 2/3% for this contract means funds are being taken from somewhere - from the kids and other resources needed to maintain the building. If you're increasing pay, I hope you're extending school time.

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Is the 2/3% bargained.

Average city and state workers don't get automatic COLAs. That's federal workers.

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...should ever get "automatic" pay increases.

raises should be based on merit. if you are a lazy slouch, not only do you not deserve a raise....you should be fired. but the teacher's union makes that impossible.

on the flip side, if you are a great teacher, you should be getting a lot more than a measly 3% raise.

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Cost of Living increases aren't really raises, they're literally just there to keep your salary abreast with inflation.

If anything, private sector jobs where you don't get a COLA are cutting your pay a little bit, every year.

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Inflation has run south of 2% for many years now. Teacher raises have run well north of that in Boston. These are at least affordable levels of increase relative to the city's revenues though. I believe many prior years have run 3-4% or roughly twice the inflation rate. May seem small, but over time that's not sustainable. These , on the other hand, should be.

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Housing costs, the biggest single factor in your cost to live in this area, have risen drastically, much more then 2% a year.

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If you don't move the base a certain level from year to year (or biennially) your wage structure suffers. Your starting wage goes out of whack compared with your peers.

Even non-union places have wage scales. That's the way it is. Do you really think that the Nissan plant in Mississippi varies the wages from person to person for everyone on the assembly line? Nope, the boss announces that wages will go up (or down) x% for the coming year.

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replacing employees is expensive. By providing a pay structure that increases with time served, you reward employees for sticking around. if this doesn't occur to you then you are not management material.

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How dare you ask teachers to work extended days we have families and lives also and kids don't learn because their day is long it's about content learning and a parent who cares enough to teach at home also.

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No more whining and demands by the BTU? They got an excellent deal.

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No mention at all whether the contract allows for easier dismissal of unneeded/underperforming teachers.

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by incompetent management. Firing people is expensive. You build an excellent workforce from the ground up. Whiny bosses that are unwilling to take responsibility for their job of hiring the right people and training them appropriately are the ones that complain that it is too hard to fire people. The truth is it is that is too hard for managers to train people.

Every union employee I know goes through a probationary period where they can be fired without cause. If a manager can't figure out whether a employee is unneeded or under performing in 3 to 6 months then the manager is incompetent.

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With a student transportation system costing $80 to $100 million a year, money is just being tossed out the window that could be used to improve schools In all neighborhood's.

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The salaries that are most out of whack are Boston Firefighters. The job requires a high school degree and has a waiting list of capable candidates a mile long. It's not a job where everyone should be taking home over $100k and have lifetime job security.

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There can be more to a job than book learning, friend.

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