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SCHENECTADY
Contract includes longer days Teachers union members to vote on Monday
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter

    A longer school day is the centerpiece of a new teachers’ contract pending a vote by the Schenectady Federation of Teachers next week.
    Superintendent Eric Ely announced that the union members are scheduled to vote Monday on a four-year agreement. The proposal would extend the school day at all levels, increase salaries an average of 3.1 percent throughout the four years, increase employees’ contribution to insurance premiums and revise professional development programs.
    If the union votes in favor, Ely said, the Board of Education could ratify the contract at its June 3 meeting.
    In the first year of the contract, union members will receive a 2.22 percent salary increase retroactive to Sept. 1, 2007. Salaries will increase 3.5 percent in year two, 3.2 percent in year three and 3.6 percent in year four.
    Ely said he wants to reduce the gaps in student achievement more quickly with a longer school day.
    Under the proposal, the elementary school day would start at 8:45 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m., instead of 9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The middle school day would start at 8 a.m. and continue until 3:05 p.m., instead of 8:10 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. The high school start time would actually be pushed back from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. and the dismissal would be at 3:05 p.m. instead of 2:10 p.m.
    Ely said the district was persuaded by research about how effectively older students learn.
    “The research shows that the older the students get, the better they are starting later in the day,” he said.
    He said the district should save some money on transportation costs. They will have a lot more buses on the road in the morning to make the trips to all the schools, but may redo some routes.
    The salary increases are tied to the extra half-hour of instruction, Ely said. The current starting salary for a teacher with a master’s degree is $39,643. For 10 years ex- perience, the salary is $51,350; and for 25 years, the starting salary is $78,883.
    In addition, Ely said employees’ share of insurance premium payments will increase in the final year of the contract from 12 percent to 15 percent for individuals and from 13 percent to 16 percent for families.
    One of the major sticking points in this contract was professional development time. The district reduced its requirement of 30 hours of professional development to 25 hours. However, Ely said the district is revamping its professional development programs to make them more effective including starting a three-day professional development program in August.
    Ely could not provide the exact cost of the contract, but said he believes it would not affect taxpayers. The district can use the roughly $6 million to $7 million in Contract for Excellence money it will receive from the state as a high needs district to pay for the cost. One of the goals of the contract is to lengthen the school day.
    The union has been working under the old contract since it expired in August. Ely said both sides started out at polar opposites and ended up in the middle.

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Schenectady teachers OK plan for longer school day

By LAUREN STANFORTH, Staff writer
Tuesday, May 27, 2008

SCHENECTADY -- The Schenectady Federation of Teachers have ratified their new contract, which calls for lengthening the school day by 30 minutes.
     
Union members voted 539 to 278 last week to ratify the four-year deal. The city Board of Education still must approve the contract at its regularly scheduled meeting June 4.
Under the contract, Schenectady middle school students will have to get to class 10 minutes earlier, and elementary students 15 minutes earlier. But high-school students will get an extra 25 minutes to sleep in. All schools will then let out between 3:05 and 3:30 p.m.
The City School District of Albany also extended hours this school year.
Schenectady Federation of Teachers president Juliet Benaquisto said some members balked at the increased work time, but she said the step raises of between 5 percent to 6.25 percent were a good deal during these economic times. The contract is retroactive from 2007-2008 and will last until 2010-2011.