St. Mary's Schools, Unions Hit Accord

One-Year Contract Includes Raises

After months of tense negotiations, St. Mary's County school officials and unions representing teachers and staff members agreed on a one-year salary contract that will provide a 1.8 percent raise and protections against layoffs and furloughs.

The two sides agreed last week on a three-year general contract but decided that the salary issues could be negotiated only one year at a time because of the economy.

"Other than the painful lack of funding, this was truly a rewarding and stimulating process," Wanda Ruffo Twigg, president of the Education Association of St. Mary's County, said Wednesday. "For the first time in my many years of negotiating, there was enormous respect by everyone at the table for the interests of every represented stakeholder."

Contract negotiations are not going as well in Calvert County, where school officials and union representatives hit an impasse. The unions for teachers and staff members want a higher salary increase than was outlined in the school board's budget. The two sides are expected to go to mediation this summer.

The Calvert school board passed a $189.4 million budget this month that includes step increases and a 0.5 percent increase in teacher and support staff salaries, as recommended by Calvert Superintendent Jack Smith. That plan would preserve the 80 teaching and 10 support positions that were threatened to be eliminated.

In Charles County, contracts with teachers and support staffs are not due to be renegotiated until June 2010.

In St. Mary's, school officials said that they did not want to lay off or furlough any staff members or teachers despite struggling with budget problems. In addition to the 1.8 percent salary increase for one year, the agreement calls for enhanced tuition reimbursement and severance pay in addition to setting up a flexible and pretaxed health-care spending plan.

The school system also agreed to continue to improve working conditions.

"It is important, even in challenging economic times, that we continue to move forward as a school system to provide the best environment and highest-quality instruction for our students while recognizing the contributions of our staff," St. Mary's Superintendent Michael J. Martirano said.

The contracts must be approved by the St. Mary's school board, which is scheduled to meet June 10.