Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School will save some money due to concessions the teachers union agreed to in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed June 30 between the district and the Lincoln-Sudbury Teachers Association. At this point, however, officials can\u2019t say exactly how much the district will save.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe are dotting the i\u2019s and crossing the t\u2019s and we will have a final agreement in place before the next L-S School Committee meeting,\u201d said Mark T. Collins, vice chairman of the L-S School Committee.<\/p>\n
In the MOU, faculty agreed to pay 30 percent of the health insurance premium, rather than the current 25 percent, saving the district $81,000, for fiscal 2010.<\/p>\n
Additional savings will be realized when L-S non-teacher employees also pay the increased insurance premium, said Collins.<\/p>\n
The agreement also eliminates the early retirement incentive plan beginning in 2011.<\/p>\n
The state introduced the program to encourage senior (and higher paid) faculty to retire. At L-S, up to three faculty members could participate. Assuming they met all the qualifications, they were paid a bonus of 50 percent on their last year of their base salary.<\/p>\n
By eliminating the program, Collins said, the district will save between $95,000 and $140,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have concluded that the early retirement plan has not been an effective incentive for retirement. There are better ways to compensate our faculty more equitably,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The savings will be partially offset by the new Master Teachers Program, which replaces the early retirement incentive plan. The new program gives a $2,500 bonus to senior teachers, costing the district $77,500 in 2010.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe intend to monitor this program closely, to make sure it is an effective program and open to negotiations in three years if not,\u201d said Collins. \u201cWe see this as a savings and it helps us create a performance incentive for our most experienced faculty and those are the folks we often rely on to engage in the mentoring and some of the non-classroom responsibilities that are necessary to run a high school.\u201d<\/p>\n
The teacher contract also includes small annual cost of living pay increases. An increase of .75 percent in the first year will cost the district $80,000.<\/p>\n
Sudbury Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Woodard said he is pleased an agreement has been reached and that L-S is addressing the high cost of and the high rate of growth of health care benefits.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving said that, it is difficult to determine from an MOU what the new contract will mean financially to the town,\u201d said Woodard.<\/p>\n
The Finance Committee has invited an L-S representative to its regular monthly meeting on July 20 to discuss the terms of the contract.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School will save some money due to concessions the teachers union agreed to in a Memorandum of Understanding signed June 30 between the district and the Lincoln-Sudbury Teachers Association. (courtesy of wickedlocal.com) Read full article