Nahant teachers near new contract

NAHANT – A tentative agreement has been reached between the teachers union and school administrators.Teachers in town have been working without a contract since August, but Interim Superintendent Joseph Lisi said a tentative agreement has been reached.”The teachers are reviewing a new three-year contract,” he said. “We expect to have a contract in place in the near future.”Calls to Union President Dorothy Peever were not immediately returned last week. But Lisi, who started work on Sept. 4, said negotiations with the teachers union have been cordial and it is important to get a contract in place as soon as possible.”We’ve had very positive meetings,” he said. “The teachers are dedicated professionals.”Lisi did not release any of the terms in the proposed contractFormer Superintendent/Principal Denise Littlefield, who resigned Oct. 31, was unable to negotiate a contract before her abrupt departure.Due to Ed Reform, teachers contracts are negotiated by the school department, not town officials. The teachers union is the only union in town currently working without a contract.Nahant Town Administrator Mark Cullinan signed agreements with the DPW, police and fire unions in June. Cullinan said union contracts on the town side are equitable across departments in terms of vacation time, personal time, longevity and raises. Cullinan said the contracts, which went into effect July 1, gave workers in all three departments a 4 percent raise the first year, 3 percent the second year and 3 percent in the final year of the contract.