Teachers Get New Contract

Teachers at the Montauk School will receive a new contract from the district after working without one since June 2015. Negotiations have been ongoing for more than a year.

The new agreement awards them raises but phases out longevity pay, increases their share of health insurance costs, and adjusts the payouts they get for unused sick days when they retire.

The school board approved the contract during its Sept. 13 meeting, dating it retroactively to July 1, 2015.

“This agreement will serve the best interests of our teachers, students, community, and school,” Laura Schilling, president of the Montauk Teachers Association, said in an email to The Star. “We look forward to a positive new school year.”

Teachers will get a 1.25-percent pay increase for last year, which will cost the district $142,873, and will receive a .75- percent pay increase this year, for a total of $129,831. As always, incremental raises will be awarded depending on years of service.

Longevity pay, for those who have worked at least 23 years at the school, will stop at the end of the 2018-19 school year, when the new contract ends. Jack Perna, the district superintendent, explained in an email, however, that contract negotiations would begin again before that point. In theory, then, longevity pay could be brought back. The district has 12 teachers in this category.

Teachers will also pay a slightly larger share of their health and dental insurance costs, rising by half a percent each year, from 10 percent in 2015-16 to 11.5 percent in 2018-19. “However, beginning January 2017, we are changing from East End Health Plan to New York State Health Insurance Plan, and all costs will go down because it is a less expensive plan,” Mr. Perna said. “So, while their share goes up, total costs for health insurance will go down.”

With regard to payouts for unused sick days upon retirement, the new contract divides teachers into two categories: those hired before July 2015 who retire with at least 15 years’ service, and those hired after July 2015 who retire with at least 20 years’ service. The former group will be compensated at a rate of 40 percent for up to 200 unused sick days; the latter, at a rate of 35 percent.

“As I have said many times, the teachers have continued to work even though their contract had not yet been settled,” Mr. Perna said. “The students would not have and did not see any difference. I am very happy that the agreement has been reached to both parties’ satisfaction.”