Paiva Weed Calls for Statewide Teacher Contract

Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed said she intends on spearheading an initiative to create a statewide teacher contract, which would dramatically change the way union contracts are negotiated but could save Rhode Island cities and towns millions.

The idea might sound familiar since it was repeatedly raised by Moderate Party Candidate Robert “Bob” Healey during the recent Rhode Island gubernatorial campaign. And it has been mentioned for decades at the State House in discussions about consolidation of services among the state’s 39 cities and towns.

But Paiva Weed, who hails from Newport, said “it’s time for us to take a serious look at developing a statewide teacher contract for Rhode Island” in comments to business leaders at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting on Monday.

Paiva Weed has not officially released any details about the idea, but it has already been met with a relatively mild response.

Robert Walsh, executive director of National Education Association Rhode Island said his union is agreeable to a dialog, but noted that any changes must preserve local control to an extent.

The concern is that local School Committees might not have much say in new contracts and a district facing financial peril would be unable to get major concessions from the local union -- a practice that has spared many districts, such as Cranston, in recent years during the economic downturn.

One option would be for a statewide contract to serve as a “base contract,” Walsh told WPRI, which would then give local unions the ability to negotiate with their local school board for more money.

House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello said he would consider the plan. In a statement, he said ““This is a proposal that will be evaluated after it makes its way through the normal legislative process.”

A statewide contract could save money by offering health care and benefits to teachers in a unified system, reducing fees, administrative costs and increasing the overall buying power of the combined school districts.

What do you think about the idea? Are you a teacher or School Committee member? Post your thoughts in the comments below.