for new B-R Teacher Contract
November 24, 2004
Bridgewater
Raynham
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Bridgewater-Raynham Schools
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USA
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Opinion/Analysis
Joseph Gillis Jr.
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In summary, returning teachers for the 2005-06 school year will receive (as an average) a 5.2% increase in salary. Due to retirements, and estimated replacement teachers at lower steps, the salary line item in the 2005-06 school year budget will be 3.2% higher than the current year. Specifically, as described below, next year salary line item will be $682k more than this year - for the same number of teachers. {Summary statement added 11/29/04.}
To follow-up on the November 22 story on the new contracts, I entered all of the printed information provided to me by the Superintendent into a spreadsheet, along with tables representing teacher salary steps. Because I only have current teacher information, I cannot determine what the financial effect of the contract is on 2004-05 vs. last year. However, I can build an analysis to show the financial effects of the contract on next year (year 2 of the new contract), or the 2005-06 school year.
There are currently 343 teachers in the listing, representing $21,180,238 in base salary. No Longevity Payments pursuant to Article 30 are included in this analysis. Also, any movement by teachers in qualifications (such as from a Masters to a Masters+15 teacher) is not factored into the analysis. 21 teachers are noted to be retiring on 6/30/2005. Therefore, 322 teachers are anticipated to be at B-R next year. The 21 retiring teachers represent $1,456,087 in salary. For next year, the remaining 322 teachers are estimated to receive $20,706,989 in total salary. In this calculation are 73 teachers eligible for the new 'Super Step 20' in the contract. Up to 63 other teachers may be eligible for this extra $1000 step, however due to the way the report was created for me, it is impossible to definitively say whether or not these people that I know to be over 13 years also have more than 20 years.
Therefore, salary costs will be $473k less next year, but with 21 fewer teachers in the calculation. If these 21 positions were filled with brand new teachers, with a Bachelors degree and no years of experience, that would cost $766k. So the salary line item would be $293k more than in the current year. However, another way to look at this is with the district's own calculation for bringing 8 teachers back to B-R High. Specifically, the 8 positions were estimated to cost about $55k each because of re-hire rules. (A teacher at $55k would be about a 7 year veteran with a Masters degree, or a 5 year veteran with Masters +30 credits.) So, if the 21 vacancies are filled with teachers of these qualifications, the cost would be $1,155,000. Therefore, in this scenario, the salary line item on next year's budget will increase by $682k over this year.
For the 322 returning teachers to B-R, next year's salary will increase by between 3% and 8.6%, with an average being a 5.2% increase. There are three factors at work here: (1) the known 3% raise; (2) the effect of moving up a step each year in the contract for anyone not already at the top step 13; (3) the new 'Super Step 20' in the contract providing an additional $1000 in salary at that level.
In this, what I believe to be the most likely scenario for salaries, the new contract will will result in an increase of the salary line item by 3.2%. This is only an analysis of what is known - or what I have been provided with as backup materials. I will be happy to share the financial analysis with anyone who would like to discuss it - just email me.
The other major analysis is of the new Longevity Plan - the extra $6000 per year for 3 years - vs. the sick-time buyback. This will be addressed at a future time. I will need to obtain a detailed report of sick-time accumulations per teacher in order to complete any kind of analysis.
Based on the current contract steps and formulas, the Sick-Time Buyback appears to max at about $20,284. (Max days is 185, multiplied by 27.5%, multiplied by salary (max $73,360), divided by 184 days.)
