Albany schools new contract

[PaulJonson]

By TIM O'BRIEN, Staff writer
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First published: Friday, June 22, 2007

ALBANY -- The school day will get a little longer in the Albany schools next year under a contract with teachers approved Thursday.

In the middle and high schools, there will be 30 more minutes of classroom time each day.

In the elementary schools, students will be taught for an extra 15 minutes each day. Students in both schools now spend six hours and 30 minutes in class.

That increase in school time was a key element of the agreement, reached almost a year after the contract expired. The contract was approved Thursday by the Board of Education.

The five-year agreement, which is retroactive to last July 1, calls for annual wage increase of 3.53 percent a year.

In the first year of the contract, a starting teacher's pay will be $43,396. A 20-year veteran will be paid $80,106.

"A longer school day was a very important aspect of these negotiations," said Superintendent Eva Joseph. "On both sides we were committed to reaching a goal of more time for our students."

Bill Ritchie, president of the Albany Public School Teachers Association, said the goal is to improve student achievement.

"Teachers understood it was a serious contribution of time but a necessary one," he said. "I believe that the time, in addition to the professional development opportunities, will result in improved student achievement."

Teachers will also receive three hour-long training sessions a month, while secondary teachers will get an additional hour of professional development a month.

The teachers' contribution to health insurance will also increase. It will remain at the current 3 percent next school year but increase to 8 percent in 2008-09, 10 percent in 2009-10 and to 15 percent by the contract's end.

School officials have not yet worked out whether the additional time will be in the morning, afternoon or split. They will work to coordinate the lengthier school days with the bus transportation schedule.

Teachers ratified the contract Monday by a 3-1 ratio, Ritchie said.

"It's a solid vote of confidence in our negotiating team," he said.

The district usually has signed three-year agreements with the union.

"A five-year contract will contribute to the stability of the workforce," Ritchie said. It will enable the district to focus on student achievement and help the district know how much money it will need for its budgets, he added.

In the first year, which concludes June 30 this year, teachers will see a 3 percent raise. Next year, their pay will rise 3.75 percent. The following two years will see increases of 3.95 percent, and the final year of the contract will be a 3 percent salary hike. Tim O'Brien can be reached at 454-5092 or by e-mail at tobrien@timesunion.com.

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/sto...date=6/22/2007

[colossus27]

The five-year agreement, which is retroactive to last July 1, calls for annual wage increase of 3.53 percent a year.

In the first year of the contract, a starting teacher's pay will be $43,396. A 20-year veteran will be paid $80,106.

186 day year, before vacation, snow days, and sick leave is figured in here...so let's conservatively estimate this at $33.33 per hour. Starting? For a master's in education? Jeez. And you wonder why people bitch about school taxes.

[run4it]

well, if you take the $43,396 and divide it by 186 days, you come up with 233.31 per day. Divide that by about 9 hours of work (and if you think teachers only work during normal school hours, you're a flaming fool...9 hours is actually fairly conservative) you come up with $25.92 per hour.

Considering that many banking clerks where I work make in excess of $20/hr, and teaching is pretty much one of the most important roles in society, I can't say I'll complain too much about that.

[colossus27]

Flaming fool? Really.

Are you really saying that on average, a teacher works 2 hour per day worked more than the kids are at school? That's the equivalent of a 7AM-5PM workday, and we both know they're not teaching the entire time they're at school.

Are you figuring in the gym and shop teachers too?

Do you really think that a '20 year veteran' with age-hardened lesson plans making $61.52 an hour does that?

[colossus27]

teaching is pretty much one of the most important roles in society, I can't say I'll complain too much about that.

Teaching in NY state is also one of the most efficient means of transferring our tax dollars to other state's residents.