NFT will Hold a Press Conference Tonight

The Neshaminy Federation of Teachers [NFT] will be holding a press conference tonight at Carl Sandburg Middle School at 8:30 p.m. tonight.

The NFT will be unveiling details of a new contract proposal at this event, according to a press release issued by the NFT. For about four years, the NFT, which represents the 675 certified staff members in the district, .

"The NFT is cautiously optimistic that its newest offer will lead to substantive movement on the part of the district to negotiate a contract that is good for students, and fair to the teachers and taxpayers of the district," the release states.

On May 10, the Neshaminy School board . The school board and NFT have met 29 times since January 2008 with no success on agreeing to a new contract.

The withdrawn contract proposal, which was first offered to the NFT in 2008, was “highlighted by an average 3.1 percent salary increase, employee health care contributions ranging from 10 to 12 percent, elimination of Master’s Equivalency certificates, increasing the number of work days from 188.5 to 190.5, lengthening the work day from 7 hours to 7.5 hours and removing the $27,500 retirement benefit,” as stated in a press release issued by the school board May 10.

Based on the NFT’s “desire to maintain a high cost, top tier insurance plan,” the board’s offer was later amended to include an increase in the health care contribution rate to 15 to 17 percent.