CREST HAVEN — After a quarter century being lowest on the county’s
salary totem pole, equity has arrived at the county Technical School
District.
A three-year contract, which covers 2006-2009, was approved by district teachers and board.
Superintendent William Desmond revealed the agreement, in the works for
a year and a half with the 101-member Cape May County Technical School
District Education Association at the Feb. 20 board of education
meeting.
The contract’s first contains an “equity adjustment” of 5 percent.
It was voted by rank and file members on Feb. 13-14, and won approval
91-5. Four members were out of district and one abstained, said Jim
McKinley, association president, a biology and aquatic ecosystems
teacher.
Starting salaries in 2006-07 are $40,800 annually, he
said. In the 2007-08 years, they will be $43,600 and in the last
contract year, 2008-09, starting salary will be $46,500.
Negotiations were “very congenial on both sides…no one raised their voice,” said McKinley.
“It’s amazing to me, they went so overwhelmingly in favor,” said board member Arthur Cornell.
Wage improvements were done “to bring the district to the county average, excluding Ocean City,” according to Desmond.
Pay hikes in the remaining two years of the contract will be 4.75 percent per year.
“We are looking forward to a number of years of contract peace,” Desmond said.
McKinley said the district had long been the county’s lowest paid.
“We went to Mr. Desmond and said, ‘We need your help. We are in the
hole and have been for 25 years.’ He was behind the eight-ball, too,”
said McKinley.
“Our starting salary was so low, they’d teach a
couple of years, get experience, and go down the street for
$5,000-$6,000 more walking in the door,” he added.
“So everybody benefited,” McKinley said.
About a dozen association members are at the top pay step, said McKinley.
“I also feel we will be able to be more competitive in the marketplace
in Cape May County. We were not that competitive,” Desmond said.
Salaries
in the district were “out of synch with the county as a whole, and had
caused difficulty in hiring and retaining staff,” Desmond said.
“Despite two years without a contract, we got by without some of the
negativism,” Desmond stated. He said teachers had always attended
functions.
Health benefits for current employes allow them to remain with the current, traditional Horizon Blue Cross-Blue Shield plan.
For those newly hired, a Horizon Direct Access, a PPO, will provide health care.
The health package for all employes has new features, including Delta Dental and a vision package.
“We are very happy with that,” said McKinley.
The contract also allows for increased faculty meeting time, has fewer
pay steps, uniforms for custodians, bereavement leave and consolidation
of some guides, such as secretarial.
Mileage reimbursement was brought to present IRS allowance.
McKinley said the 101 association members include teachers, secretaries, custodians and all support staff.
Del Haven – To the Middle Twp. Police administrator who said he was on the outside looking in at the police dept.. You are correct. You have no idea what you are doing and how you make your officers feel. You…
