The Board of School Trustees of the Hamilton Heights School Corporation and the Hamilton Heights Classroom Teachers Association (HHCTA) ratified the 2017-2019 teacher’s contract and it was approved unanimously by the Board of School Trustees last month. Changes to the payroll occurred on Oct. 27 with retro pay back to the beginning of the school year or July 1 for those year-round employees.
“The Administrative and CTA teams spent two days in September negotiating the new Master Contract,” said Kristin McCarty, Hamilton Heights Business Manager. “The process was awesome, and we were able to provide a contract for our teachers that met both teams’ major interests: transparent, teacher friendly, simplistic, compliant, fiscally responsible, attract/retain great teachers, and respect.”
“This year, HHCTA and the administration used the Interest Based Problem Solving Process during the bargaining sessions,” explained Jennifer Luce, HHCTA President. “The process focuses on first creating a consensus of contract objectives followed by small groups of HHCTA and Administration members working together to develop options and designs of a conceptual agreement.”
The 2017-2018 average teacher increase is 2.68 percent with a range from $36,000 to $75,000 on the salary scale. The 2018-2019 average teacher increase is 1.98 percent with a range from $37,000 to $76,000 on the salary scale.
Increases in salary are based on 1) receipt of an effective or highly effective evaluation rating and 2) experience (being present for 120 days). The teacher’s salary will be unchanged until he or she meets the requirements for an increase. Only one movement will be permitted per contract year and a teacher rated “ineffective” or “needs improvement” will not receive any increase in compensation.
Teachers who receive Building Teacher of the Year in the preceding school year are eligible for a $1,000 stipend. Any teacher who obtains a Master’s degree between Sept. 2, 2014 and July 31, 2018 is eligible for a $4,000 stipend.
Other changes include a $1,000 payroll stipend paid to all eligible teachers (who received an effective or highly effective evaluation in the 2017-2018 school year) on Dec. 7, 2018. The district will also make an additional, one-time $1,000 401(a) contribution by the end of the 2017 calendar year to all teachers employed at the time of the contribution. The contribution will be pro-rated for less than full-time employees.
“The positive outcome of this contract is a strong testament this process and to the caliber of personnel we have working in our district and their passion for our students’ overall experience at Heights,” added Dr. Derek Arrowood, Hamilton Heights Superintendent.