Pelham BOE Announces Collective Bargaining Agreements

From Pelham Public Schools: The Pelham Public Schools and Board of Education are pleased to announce new collective bargaining agreements with the Pelham Administrators’ Association and the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA).

The new Administrators’ Association contract, which was approved by the Board of Education on May 23, is a four-year successor agreement that extends from July 1, 2017-June 30, 2021. The CSEA agreement, approved by the Board of Education on June 6, lasts for three years from July 1, 2017-June 30, 2020.

Under the new agreement, Pelham Administrators will receive annual base raises of 2 percent in each of the four years and the contract also includes a mechanism for additional performance-based salary increases. According to the contract, raises may increase to 3 percent in a given year for a particular employee if he/she meets or exceeds 85 percent of their approved goals. An employee may receive a 3.5 percent salary increase if an individual administrator meets or exceeds 95 percent of their approved goals.

Employees’ annual goals are determined in consultation with the superintendent and through the Performance Evaluation Process. The implementation and achievement of goals will be determined by the superintendent of schools.

CSEA employee raises will be 1.5 percent in 2017-18, 1.75 percent in 2018-19 and 2 percent in 2019-20. The new agreement also codifies one-time payments for longevity, which will be awarded according to the following schedule: $500 at the conclusion of 10 years of service; $600 at the conclusion of 15 years of service; $650 at the conclusion of 20 years of service; $750 at the conclusion of 25 years of service; and $1,000 at the conclusion of 30 years of service.

“I am very appreciative of the strong spirit of collaboration shown by both the Administrators’ Association and the CSEA throughout the negotiations and am proud that we were able to reach these agreements,” said Superintendent Dr. Peter Giarrizzo. “For the very first time, we have put in motion a process for merit-based raises for our administrators and created a system that I believe is fair to all sides. At the same time, these new contracts will help provide financial stability to the Board of Education and the District as we continue to live in the tax-cap era and with relatively low revenue growth.”

Other noteworthy changes to the Administrator’s contract include increases in employee contributions for health, dental and optical insurance. Starting in the 2017-18 school year, administrators will pay 16 percent of their health insurance premium, a 1 percent increase from the current year. The employee contribution increases by 1 percent in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and then by 1.5 percent to 19.5 percent in 2020-2021, the final year of the agreement. Additionally, the District will now pay a reduced rate of 92 percent of the administrators’ dental and optical insurance, a decrease of 3 percent from the current contract.

“The administrators of the Pelham Public Schools are proud to serve the students and families of this wonderful district,” said Middle School Principal and President of the Administrator’s Association Dr. Robert Roelle. “We feel fortunate to have the support of the District administration, the Board of Education and the Pelham school community. We truly appreciate this symbol of our partnership and the continued resolve to provide our students with the very best system of modern education.” CSEA employees will also pay a larger portion of their health insurance premiums. For the 2017-18 year, employee’s will contribute 7.25 percent, in 2018-19, that will increase to 7.75 percent, followed by 8.25 percent in 2019-20. The contract also calls for the employee premium share to increase to 8.5 percent on June 30, 2020.

“We were very pleased with being able to negotiate a mutually acceptable contract in a timely manner," said Virginia Manganiello, President of the Pelham CSEA.

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