Bristol Township School Board Approves Teacher Contract

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA —After more than six months of negotiations, the Bristol Township School District has reached an agreement with its education association on a new, five-year contract.

The Bristol Township Education Association —which represents more than 400 certificated education professional school district employees —ratified the agreement on June 6 and the school board approved it at Wednesday's meeting.

The agreement came after more than six months of constant and consistent collective bargaining between the groups. Representatives from the two sides met bimonthly beginning in late 2022 until an agreement was reached in early June.

The contract will run for five years, beginning on Sept. 1, and was the result of issue-based collective bargaining between the groups.

The settlement calls for annual salary increases of 4.25 percent, 4 percent, 4 percent, 4 percent, and 3.75 percent for BTEA staff members for each year of the contract, inclusive of the established increment.

“I have been involved in collective bargaining for over two decades, and I have never experienced two sides so engaged and committed to reaching a resolution,” Superintendent Michael Nitti stated. “All stakeholders were focused on the process and worked through issues in a proactive and productive manner.”

As a result, both sides were able to strike an “early bird” deal, with the successor contract being settled prior to the expiration of the current contract, the first time that has happened in many years in Bristol Township.

“The reality is that every board is facing a very difficult staffing situation with teacher shortages and a highly competitive market for talented certified educators,” Board President James Morgan said. “The board committee was very cognitive of those professional dynamics, and wanted to make sure the district was in a competitive situation to recruit and retain skilled educators.”

The new contract also contains premium share adjustments in the board’s benefits package for the BTEA and other language changes.

It also immediately gets the starting salary for new teachers in Bristol Township over $50,000 a year and above $60,000 a year by the final year of the contract, aligned with recently announced federal expectations as the nation struggles through a teacher shortage.

As the board finalized another budget that has no tax increase for the Bristol Township community, it is anticipated that the increased compensation will be partially offset by increased state and federal funding, the district moving on from properties after district realignment, rising property valuation, and strategic fiscal management.

The School Board of Directors Negotiations Committee for the BTEA consisted of Chris Harkins, Gallus Obert, Mary Sharble, and Morgan. Attorney David Truelove served as a consultant.

“The committee was focused on reaching a settlement that was fair to our hardworking teaching staff and respectful to the taxpaying community,” Harkins stated. “I would like to thank my colleagues as well as our district administrative team, particularly Business Manager John Scavelli, for their work and considerable sacrifice from their personal lives during this process.”

“This fair contract was reached through open communication, compromise, and a dedication toward building strong relationships together,” BTEA President Bradley Pawlikowski stated. “We would like to thank the BTSD School Board, Superintendent Michael Nitti and Business Manager John Scavelli for their commitment to valuing our education professionals and recognizing our members’ hard work.”