5 Things to Know About the New Teachers' Contract

1.) THE BASICS: After three months of negotiations, representatives from the School Committee and the district’s teachers’ union, the Arlington Education Association, recently came to terms on a new three-year contract. The agreement, which takes effect this coming Sept. 1, was announced in Thursday afternoon. The teachers’ union voted on the new contract Monday.

2.) INCREASED COMPENSATION: The new contract includes an overall increase of 2.5 percent with a restructuring of the salary table in the first year and 2 percent increases in the second and third years, according to the release.

3.) EARLIER START TO THE SCHOOL YEAR: Under the new contract, the school year, beginning in September 2013, will start a bit earlier for both teachers and students. The two teacher days before school opens for students will be the Wednesday and Thursday prior to Labor Day. The first day of school for students will then be the Tuesday after Labor Day (expect for kindergarten). This change will give the district more flexibility in regards to snow days, the release states.

4.) TWO NEW JOINT COMMITTEES: Both sides agreed to form two new joint committees. One committee will negotiate the terms of the new educator evaluation regulations for implementation in September 2013; the other will review and analyze data on the workload, caseload, roles and responsibilities of special educators and related service providers, according to the release.

5.) IMPACT OF OVERRIDE, NEW HEALTH INSURANCE: The new contract was made possible by the June 2011 tax override and the positive financial impact of the Town and school employees moving to the GIC for health insurance, the release states.