Highlights from
Boston Union Teacher

Newly-Negotiated (for 2003-2006) Contract Benefits

All members received a 2% salary raise (plus steps where appropriate effective 9/1/03 . Career awards were increased, too, for 2003-2004 . Rates and differentials increased by the same amount.

In 2004-2005 , members will receive a 2.5% salary increase (plus steps where appropriate) on 9/1/04 . Career awards will increase on 2/1/05 . Rates and differentials will increase by the same amount.

In 2005-2006 , members will receive a 2% raise on 9/1, another 1% increase on 1//06, and another 1% increase on 4/1/06 . The salary ‘roll-out' for all in 2005-2006 will be 4.0502%. In other words, the salary at the start of the 2006-2007 school year will be 4.0502% higher than it was at the start of the 2005-2006 school year. Rates and differentials will increase by a melded, flat rate of 2.9% during the year, but at the end of the year, their ‘roll-out', too, will have been increased by 4.0502% .

The other major contract items won are as follows:

Teachers Unit

Financial Package

There are new career awards, and new dollar amounts for previously-negotiated career awards under the 03/06 contract. Further increases come on 2/1/05 .

(Make sure you check your career award. If your career award is not correct, file a PSO-3 form with HR. Seek the correct Career Award retroactive (for three years) to the first date you should have earned your award. (The 24, 34, and 44 CA's began 9/03.) You can obtain a PSO-3 at your school or by downloading. It is suggested that you hand-deliver all important documents (such as this) to Ct. St., 3 rd floor, Human Resources. Bring in two copies of each document, and ask the clerk to date-stamp both. Retain one copy for your records.)

Tuition Reimbursement —as of 9/04, permanent teachers not yet getting their first career award are eligible for reimbursement of up to $500 in 04/05 for tuition expenses. Details will be forthcoming shortly. In the meantime, save receipts for tuition expenses incurred post 9/1/04 .

The Masters 75 lane starts 9/05 —there is no advantage in sending in transcripts, etc., now. Details will be out later in the school year.

4 th personal day —Teachers now receive 4 personal days per year. All personal and sick days accumulate. Personal days can be taken for any reason and can only be rejected by administration if more than 5% of the staff have already asked for that particular day(s). The 4 th day took effect last year and was added to everyone's bank.

Adoption leave up to 40 paid days per year

Itinerants Service providers now additional funds for materials and supplies: this year, $175 up from $150; next year, $200.

Performing Arts Teachers (theatre, music, dance, drama, and choral) will get a stipend of $1600 per year for rehearsals and practices leading to productions and/or festivals. This stipend begins in 2005.

Misc. Pay Lane changes (as of 9/1/03 )

• Those with a J.D. advance one additional salary lane from where they were
  
• Swimming instructors get full salary lane credit for academic credentials
  
• National Board Certified Teachers get 4% extra over base salary

(For all of the above salary changes, please file a PSO-3 form with the necessary documentation at Court St. You can obtain a PSO-3 at your school or by downloading. It is suggested that you hand-deliver all important documents to Ct. St., 3 rd floor, Human Resources. Bring in two copies of each document, and ask the clerk to date-stamp both. Retain one copy of each for your records.)

Changes in Working Conditions

We negotiated a few significant changes in working conditions.

•  Speech and Language, OT, PT, now get individual caseload maxima for the first time along with a system wide caseload average. Take action if your caseload exceeds its maximum.

•  Nurses' system wide caseload drops from 750:1 to 700:1. As before, no nurse will be assigned to more than two schools

•  Scanner Sheets (attendance and grade reports): All will have five calendar days from the end of a marking term to complete scanners. After a week-long vacation, all will have at least two school days, and scanners will be due no earlier than noon on the Wednesday following the vacation.

•  No ISSP's on your time —The school department will provide time for individuals to do ISSP's, The time they must provide comes from their time, not your time. It cannot come out of your teacher-directed P&D's. Elementary teachers get four teacher-directed P&D's per week. Secondary teachers get five. ISSP's cannot be given to you as a duty or obligation to be completed at home.

•  Individual Benchmark testing —All K2-3 will be provided with the equivalent of two days of substitute coverage to do benchmark testing. One day's equivalency will be given in September, the other in June.

•  Professional Development Time is now PDP Certificate-worthy. “Teachers will receive a PDP certificate at the end of the school year for all time spent in professional development activities.” This provision took effect 9/1/03 ; make sure you got a certificate for your attendance last year.

•  First Two days of the School Year have been changed:

Day 1 —1/2 hour for administrator's meeting, rest of day to be teacher's discretion for organizing /preparing classroom. Until this year, teachers had only 3 hours on Day 1.

Day 2 —first ½ hour for BTU Union Rep.'(s) to conduct union business. Rest of day for professional development.

•  Teachers are not required to give demonstration lessons in CCL —Not a change but bears repeating. What's more,

•  Participation in CCL is mandatory, but demonstration is not . Each elementary teacher may have to temporarily relinquish 180 minutes of P&D time for CCL, BUT the P&D time is either restored to the teacher or the teacher is compensated on a pro-rata basis of his/her annual salary AT THE DISCRETION OF THE TEACHER. The money, if requested by the teacher, is retirement worthy.

Paraprofessional Unit

Financial

Paraprofessionals receive increased career awards

(Make sure you find the correct career awards in your paycheck. If not, file a PSO-3 form with HR. Seek retroactivity to the first date you should have reached your award. You can obtain a PS)-3 at your school or by downloading. It is suggested that you hand-deliver all important documents (such as this) to Ct. St., 3 rd floor, Human Resources. Bring in two copies of each document, and ask the clerk to date stamp both. Retain one copy for your records.)

Miscellaneous Financial

• Paraprofessional receive an increased pay rate for substituting for teachers, up to $6.00 from $4.00 .
  
• There will be created 18 new paraprofessional positions that of cluster substitute para.
  
• One-to-one paraprofessionals will receive an increase in pay, up to the level of library paraprofessional, security, and surround care (PM).

Change in Working Conditions

•  Paraprofessionals now get a 10 minute break during the day , in addition to the 30 minute lunch break

•  Paraprofessionals no longer have to apply for step increase. However, paraprofessionals still do have to apply for career awards. See above.

•  Paraprofessionals are now eligible for job-sharing

Substitute Teacher Unit

Financial Package

•  As of 9/1/03 , per-diem substitute teachers who work 150 days or more in a school year will receive a bonus of $1500 for their years work. Substitute teachers who work 120 or more but less than 150 will still receive $1000. Per diem substitute teachers eligible for the bonus as a per diem who have served during the year also as a cluster or a long-term substitute will no longer lose their eligibility.

•  Long Term substitute teachers will now, as of 9/1/04 , receive the ‘after-30 day or highest rate after 25 days.

•  Cluster substitute teachers will now be granted bereavement, as of 9/1/03 .

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