Plum board approves contract with teachers

The Plum Borough School Board voted May 30 to approve the six-year contract that the school district signed tentatively with teachers this month.

The deal will extend the current contract from 2024 to 2029.

“We started in the fall,” Superintendent Brendan Hyland said about the negotiating process, “on the off chance that we might be able to get something done. The board gave me the directive to see if we can get something done early. The board recognized that the job market is getting tougher, and it’s becoming harder and harder to get good professionals.”

The Plum Borough Education Association voted to accept the contract at its May 26 meeting. The current contract was approved in April 2019, although it was retroactive to July 1, 2018, and a strike threatened at the time was avoided.

According to information provided by the school district:

• The average increase in wages for current staff members in the new contract is 3.4% per year. With projected retirements and replacement of staff, the actual average increase in wages over the next six years is reduced to 2.4%.

• The medical premium co-share will increase to 16% of premium over the life of the contract.

• For 2024-25, the starting rate for a teacher with a master’s degree will be $55,000. It will increase to $59,400 in 2028-29.

• Starting next academic year, teachers will have an extra 10 minutes added to their workday. Teachers in kindergarten through eighth grade will use the additional time to focus on professional development and collaborative practices. High school teachers will use the supplementary minutes “to establish a deeper connection with a cohort of students on a daily basis during their PACT (Positive Attendance Check-in Time) period.”

Jenna Romanelli, education association president and gifted coordinator at the high school, thanked the administration.

“We believe (the contract) is a really fair and student-first contract,” Romanelli said at the school board meeting. “I think this is a contract that will motivate teachers to want to come to Plum and motivate teachers to want to stay in Plum. I think with education first, this was always part of our profession. There was never a time when the students were not put first when we sat at the table.”

Hyland echoed Romanelli’s sentiment that the primary focus on students was what led to the deal being made. He said that when the groups sat down in the fall, they recognized that they were making progress toward an early deal.

“We were kind of looking at each other like, we’re making some progress here. We’re going further than we thought we would,” Hyland said. “And the reason, I think, we were able to bring this to a conclusion is that we were putting kids first. We were always putting kids first, and part of putting kids first is having good individuals and quality professionals in front of students. You get what you pay for, and we have some absolutely fantastic teachers who genuinely care about these kids.”

“I’m proud to work at Plum,” Romanelli said after Hyland praised her work as union president and as an educator, “and this is something that adds to that.”