10/08/12 At the October 2 meeting of the Plymouth School Board, the three members present voted unanimously to approve the Master Contract with the Plymouth Educational Association (PEA). Board members Larry Holloway and Todd Samuelson were absent from the meeting.
According to Tyree, new laws in place meant the contract negotiations had to be completed within 60 days. If a contract between the corporation and the teacher’s union had not been reached, the matter could have gone into mediation and then arbitration, if necessary. Tyree said, “We had to completely re-write the compensation model.” The new contract does include a flat raise of $1,035 for each teacher. Speaking for the PEA , President Laura Kryer said, “It was challenging, but it is a product we were happy with.”
Tyree said, “We went into negotiations with a win-win philosophy.”
In November, the Board will consider the pay scale for administrators and in December will review the pay scale for classified employees.
Tyree told the board that the enrollment based on the September 12 count day for the Plymouth Corporation is 3,666. He said the enrollment is a 26 student increase from last year. The next count day mandated by the state will be in February; however, the compensation per student realized by schools will not be changed. According to Tyree, the February count is a measure used to learn how much schools change during the year.
The Board members also approved the 2013 budget. The total of $35,388,204 includes the General Fund, Debt Service, Capital Projects, Transportation, Transportation Bus Replacement, Rainy Day Fund, and Retirement/Severance Bond Debt.
The next meeting will be on November 6. Superintendent Daniel Tyree said the meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m., which is after the voting polling sites are closed.
Carol Anders Correspondent
