New contract OK’d by school board unanimously; union overwhelmingly supported new pact
By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor
The Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees approved a new contract Thursday between the district and the Benicia Teachers Association.
Carleen Maselli, president of the BTA, spoke briefly during public comment, saying her union’s vote in favor of the new contract was overwhelming.
“We had 80 percent of our teachers vote, and 90 percent ratification for ‘yes,’” Maselli said. “It was a year-long process, and sometimes it got a little bit grueling.”
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Michael Gardner concurred, adding, “It was a long process. When I went and signed the tentative agreement I happened to look at the date. it was one year to the day that we had our first meeting,” said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Michael Gardner. “It’s been a long thing. There were times where we thought it might be longer, we didn’t know.”
The new agreement includes a 2.5-percent ongoing increase for the 2012-13 school year, retroactive to July 1, 2012, and a second 2.5-percent increase effective July 1, 2013 for a total increase of 5 percent.
In addition, the district’s contribution to teachers’ medical benefits premium will increase to $650 from $600 per month, retroactive to July 1, 2012.
Maselli noted earlier last week that Benicia teachers had not had a raise in five years, because 2008 was when the state started to cut funding to education. “In the earlier part of that time, teachers, along with the entire BUSD staff, took three furlough days to save money, reduced our dental coverage, reduced our stipends by 40 percent and increased (kindergarten through third grade) class sizes.”
That stipend reduction is voided in the new contract, as well, with stipends restored to their 2007-08 levels — providing additional compensation to those teachers who are appointed to extend day activities, Maselli said.
Additionally, “Although the raise is smaller than what BTA had hoped to negotiate, as it is not as high as inflation has been, we are happy that teachers will be able to see some increase to their bottom lines,” she said last week prior to the BUSD board meeting.
On Thursday, Gardner thanked members of the BTA. “They were very respectful. There wasn’t any angst on any side. Neither side got everything they were looking for — that’s how negotiations happen,” he said.
“I think it was a very fair and equitable solution that we came up with.”
The motion was approved unanimously with the three board members present. André Stewart, accompanied by Superintendent Janice Adams, was in Anaheim to with the Benicia High School Panther Band; and a replacement has not yet been appointed for Trustee Dana Dean.
The board will have a special meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. to interview and appoint a trustee to fill Dean’s seat.
“I would like to thank the BTA for their time and their effort,” board President Rosie Switzer said. “I know that it’s easier when you put the time and effort into it when you are going to get something out of it.”
“They actually made negotiations almost painless.”
Trustee Steve Messina added: “For me it was very encouraging that we as a district were in a position that we could offer raises to our staff and our teachers this year.
“Many in California that are going without, there are many that are much worse off than us.”
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This was a bad decision by the school board. They don’t have enough money to give raises when the economy is so bad. There will not be enough money for the students and infrastructure and they will be demanding more money from the community before another year goes by. The teachers are surely deserving of more money, but any raise should have been put off until there was enough money available. Now our students will not have what they need.
Students already don’t have what they need if their teachers are underpaid, undervalued and overworked – which is the case in 99.9% of our schools in this country. Teachers already pay at least $1000 of THEIR OWN MONEY, on average, for supplies and classroom needs; often have to clean their own classrooms because custodial services are cut to the bone and have lost a lot of benefits, which school districts insist is not a cut in pay, even though it means a substantially lesser paycheck. 5% is surely not out of the reach of a community as affluent as Benicia. You gets what you pays for.