Swampscott teachers slated to receive raises

SWAMPSCOTT – A tentative agreement on a new teachers contract calls for raises this year and the two following years, School Superintendent Lynne Celli told the Finance Committee Thursday night.Teachers will receive a 1 percent raise this year, a 11/2 percent raise next year and a 2 percent raise in 2013, according to a memo of understanding signed by the school district and the teacher’s union.”I think we’re on a very good course,” said School Committee member Maureen Thomsen, who joined Celli and school district Budget Director Ed Cronin at the meeting. “We’re walking the walk with collaborations and evaluations and I truly think the (planned) return in investments is worth it.”The members of the finance committee focused their questions on three aspects of the new contract: teacher raises, promoting collaboration among the administrators and teachers, and the budget implications of contract obligations and enrollment figures.Enrollment figures are “fairly stable,” according to Cronin.But translating this to classroom needs can depend on where the students live, the number of students attending private schools and how many students require special-education services, Celli and Cronin said.To help better predict costs, Celli and Cronin said that they will examine reforming the district’s pay grades so that increases are more equitable.They said they also hope to build in-district special-education programs to reduce the costs of sending children out of district for services that the local schools cannot provide.Members of the committee praised Celli for bringing an atmosphere of mutual respect in the negotiations and the schools.In the past, “it seemed like there was a lot of animosity in the (school) buildings,” said Finance Committee Vice Chair Don Pinkerton. “I think that’s melting away.”A new health teacher will be shared among the elementary schools. This promotes health and well-being and gives elementary teachers a 40-minute planning time that they requested, said Celli.Two new committees will also promote collaboration, Thomsen explained. A committee with equal representation between the administrators and teachers will advise Celli on professional development needs. A similar committee will address teacher and administrator evaluations.