5-Year Contract Ratified By Bensalem School District And Teachers

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —A new five-year collective bargaining agreement has been reached by the Bensalem Township School District and its education association, school officials announced Monday.

School directors approved the contract terms with the 461-member Bensalem Township Education Association. The BTEA ratified the contract on Sept. 16 and the school board signed off on it at last week's meeting.

The 5-year agreement begins on July 1, 2023, and runs through June 30, 2028.

The new starting salary for an education association member holding a bachelor’s degree will be $51,952 for the 2023-24 school year.

School officials said the deal allows the township to continue to attract high-quality educators and retain top talent.

Negotiations were deemed "cordial and mutually productive," school officials said, noting that negotiations were part of an “early bird” agreement this spring and summer.

"This 'early bird' agreement —the first of its kind in decades —represents the outstanding partnership between the board, district and members in support of the students and community we serve. Both sides focused on the recruitment and retention of the best teachers for the children of Bensalem," school officials said in a press release.

Compensation: Recurring Cost through term of contract: $8.6 million

• New Salary Scale reducing steps from 22 to 18 in Year 2.
• Step increases based on years of service.
• Column movement based on academic achievement every year except Year 2.
• Step increases ranging from $750 to $1,000 in each year of the contract.

This increased compensation will be partially offset by additional state education subsidy, an anticipated rise of local property valuation, anticipated attrition, savings from administrative reorganization, and additional Commonwealth support.

The Bensalem Township School District will continue its membership in The Bucks Mont Health Consortium. This Labor-Management Trust has saved the district millions of dollars throughout the life of its membership, while providing high quality and cost-effective health and wellness benefits for district employees.

There are also language changes to support timely hiring practices in the interest of advancing Bensalem’s position in an extremely challenging education employment market. Additional language changes promote academic and program continuity, school officials said.

“The passing of this five-year Collective Bargaining Agreement will help both retention and recruitment in Bensalem, but most importantly the passing of this five-year agreement will help the students that we educate and the community in which they live in,” BTEA President George Daka said.

“I would like to congratulate and thank President Daka, Chief Negotiator Egan, their team and all BTEA members for their work throughout this process. We remain grateful for our partnership as we are united in our mission-providing a world class education and experience for the children of Bensalem,” School Board President Eric Price said.

Price said, “I am also grateful for the hard and thoughtful work of the district’s negotiating team. Ms. Nicholas, Mr. Amuso, Mr. Pizzo, Mr. Langowski, and Mr. Steffy provided a platform and forum that made this possible. Our entire board has been integrally involved every step of the way and provided insight, guidance and support.” Congratulations again, this is good for Bensalem!"