BOE Reaches Agreement with Branford Educators Association for New Contract

Joint Press Release from Branford Board of Education and the Branford Education Association

The Branford Board of Education and the Branford Education Association reached an agreement on terms for a successor 3-year contract starting on July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2015.

The parties had commenced an arbitration process, but were able to reach agreement on a full contract following the start of the arbitration process. The contract was filed in the Town Clerk’s office today as a stipulated arbitration award. 

The new contract contains a salary freeze for all teachers in the first year of the contract, with a general wage increase of 1.0 percent in the second and third years of the contract. Teachers who are not on the maximum step of the salary schedule will advance one step in each of the second and third years. 

The total three-year cost, for both general wage increases and step advancements, is 5.73 percent. Additionally, the contract increases health insurance co-pays in the second year of the contract, and increases health insurance premium share contributions by teachers in the second and third years of the contract. 

The contract also includes an optional Health Savings Account insurance plan, which has the potential to generate substantial savings for the district. Finally the agreement maintains additional planning time for teachers in the elementary schools.

Board of Education Chair Frank Carrano and BEA President Carl Seeley praised the willingness of the parties to work collaboratively to achieve an agreement which meets the needs of today’s students while being responsive to challenging economic circumstances. 

“The teachers deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the way they recognized the community’s economic challenges and partnered with the Board to meet these challenges,” Carrano said. “It is my hope that this contract settlement will herald some increased opportunities for the district to move forward with our plans to provide opportunities for all of our students to be successful in school.”