In a special board meeting last night, Warsaw Community School Corporation’s school board approved the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Warsaw Community Education Association and WCS.

The contract, which will be effective from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014, and outlines the details of teacher salaries, paid leaves, insurance benefits, grievance procedure and maintenance of standards in terms of the creation of a future contract.

The contract recognizes the Warsaw Community Education Association as all certificated teachers under contract to WCS. This excludes all educational services center administrators, principals, assistant principals, director of special services, assistant director of special services, athletic director, career center principal/director, special services employees, substitute teachers, attendance officer, confidential employees, employees performing security work, and all other supervisors.

According to WCS Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz, a major change in the contract came after a change in Indiana law that required the agreement to pertain strictly to compensation and fringe benefits. Hintz stated that this change has cut most of the language from previous contracts down.

Hintz stated that the process of creating the agreement began with informal meeting during the end last school year and proceeded throughout June with a recess for the month of July.

“By law the formal part of the bargaining process must take place from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30,” explained Hintz. “Informal discussions can occur before –which we decided to go that route. We were able to reach a tentative agreement on Aug. 22 and then we finalized all of the documentation. The WCEA (Warsaw Community Education Association) ratified the agreement with a vote of 248 yes’s and zero no’s. Our board unanimously approved the agreement last night with a 7-0 vote.

According to the contract, entry salaries for employees during the 2013-2014 school year has been set at $35,000 for those with a bachelor’s of science degree. Teacher salaries are determined on their years of experience and education level. Those with an educational specialist degree, the highest academic level noted on the salary scale, are able to start with a base salary of $38,910 and can increase to up to $64,322 as they gain years of experience.

Teacher’s salaries are experiencing a total package increase of 3.8 percent,” stated Hintz. “The district has the financial capacity to fund this settlement. Our approximately 140 veteran teachers have gone since the 2008-2009 school year without an increase. This is the first increase (for veteran teachers) since 2008-2009 with the exception of receiving a $500 stipend 2 and a half year ago. We are able to provide this due to the excellent fiscal work and integrity of our CFO Kevin Scott and the fact that our school is growing, which helps with the revenue side of the school corporation.

“Were very pleased with the outcome and the process this year,” explained Hintz. “It was very professionally done –as it has been done in the past. I view it as a win-win for everyone concerned. Our certified teaching staff are most deserving of the contract that they have now.”

To view the 2013-2014 Collective Bargaining Agreement click here.