Yorktown School District and Yorktown Congress of Teachers Reach Two-Year Contractual Agreement

The Yorktown Congress of Teachers (YCT) and the Yorktown Central School District have reached a two-year contractual agreement, to expire in August, 2012. Yorktown board of education members unanimously approved this agreement during their March 28 meeting. 

"Our teachers are extremely professional and highly valued," Superintendent of schools Ralph Napolitano said. "I am very happy that they have a contract in place. We will all be expected to do more with less, and will all be expected to continue to do our best."

During the first year of the two-year agreement the parties have agreed that there will be a zero percent increase to the teachers’ salary schedules including athletic, extra and co-curricular stipends. There will be a $25 increase to each teacher’s Welfare Fund benefit.

Although there is no increase to the teachers' salary schedules, approximately 65 percent of teachers in the district will still receive an increase to their salary based on reaching another step, which is an automatic salary increase. All teachers move up a seniority ladder from the time they are hired. Each "step" on the ladder has a salary attached to it.  The teacher moves up each year that he or she is employed. There are steps 1 through 16, and only those teachers who have reached the maximum step won't see an increase in their salary. 

The average step increase in 3.5 to 3.9 percent, Assistant Superintendent of Business Tom Cole said. In addition, a teacher moves from one ladder to another depending on degree of education. The salary also depends on the amount of credits a teachers receives and the number of years employed.

During the second year of the agreement (2011-2012), salary schedules, including related monies for athletic, extra and co-curricular, longevities and the per-credit hour rate stipends will increase by 1.9 percent, while health insurance contributions for both active and retired teachers will increase from six percent to eight percent. The two-percent increase of health insurance contributions made by teachers is estimated to save the district $70,000 per year. The district will also increase contributions to each teacher’s Welfare Fund benefit by an additional $25 per year.

Part-time teachers will have to contribute to the cost of their health coverage on a pro-rated basis. Additional savings to the district will result from modifying contractual provisions that will cap the district’s health insurance waiver option to $5,000. Approximately $16,000 will be saved the first year from that, Napolitano said.

Cole said the district will restructure and slow down the acquisition of graduate credits, which will be paid out once a year in blocks of 15. This, he said, will give the district a better idea of what to expect so they can budget for when the teacher is expected to receive the payment. Teachers receive $2,389 for every 10 credits they receive, he said. 

The district will also have the ability to negotiate starting salaries for newly hired teachers. The average salary for an incoming teacher with a Master's degree and no earned credits is $58,170. 

The Yorktown Congress of Teachers agreement expired on June 30, 2010, and under the Taylor Law, all of its terms remained in full force and effect while the terms of a new contract are negotiated. In January, after months negotiations, the school district and the Yorktown Congress of Teachers .

"Given the current economic environment, we are pleased that together we were able to reach an accord with our teachers that continues responsible educational excellence for all students," said Jackie Carbone, president of the board of education. "We are proud to collaborate to guarantee fiscal prudence and educational excellence."

"Our membership recognizes that this is a difficult economy," said Sean Kennedy, president of the Yorktown Congress of Teachers. "We wanted to show our support for the community while maintaining the integrity of our contract."

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Editor's Note: The story has been updated to reflect that teachers will receive increases based on an automated increase for reaching another step. This is independent whether or not an agreement has been reached.