BoE and FCTA Announce Agreement
The Board of Education (BOE) and the Frederick County Teachers Association (FCTA) have reached a tentative agreement in the negotiations process for the 2015-2016 school year.
Highlights of the agreement are as follows:
- A salary step increase to begin December 1, 2015
- A delay in health insurance premium increases until December 1, 2015
- An agreement that the parties will meet to discuss strategies focused on creating an affordable and sustainable increment before beginning negotiations for the 2016-2017 school year
- Increased planning time for elementary teachers from 270 to 310 minutes; the additional time may be scheduled outside the student day and will be in blocks no less than 20 minutes
- One-year continuation of a pilot program to permit use of leave in one-hour increments
- One-year continuation and expansion from three to six schools in which teachers may serve as substitutes during planning time
- Implementation of the Fair Share Representation Fee, requiring employees hired after July 1, 2015 to join the Association or pay a representation fee
The FCTA will mail ballots to its members for ratification of the contract.
“We’re pleased to have reached a proposed agreement,” said BOE lead negotiator Nancy Dietz. “Both sides worked diligently to come together in an extremely challenging fiscal climate. Ultimately, the proposed agreement we developed will bring about improvements that will benefit both teachers and students.”
FCTA President Gary Brennan added, “The Teachers Association worked diligently to represent the hard work and dedication of Frederick County’s educators. FCTA believes that this agreement, reached in a particularly difficult budget year, will begin a multi-year process to rebuild what has been lost during years of underfunding. It was essential to the FCTA Board that despite the delay in its implementation, the integrity of the salary schedule was maintained. We are very thankful for the patience and positive engagement of our members throughout this process.”
FCPS Superintendent Dr. Terry Alban noted the Board of Education’s leadership throughout months of work on the budget for the coming school year: “There were no easy choices this year. Our fiscal circumstances forced some extremely difficult decisions about potential cuts. At every step, though, the Board put the interests of students first.” Dr. Alban added that “the proposed agreement clearly shows that the Board values the work of FCPS employees; that’s why a salary increase was a priority.”
Negotiations remain ongoing between the Board of Education and the other two employee associations: the Frederick Association of School Support Employees and the Frederick County Administrative and Supervisory Association.
