Editor’s note: This article is by Derek Carson, of the Bennington Banner, in which it was first published June 15, 2016.
BENNINGTON — Representatives of the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union and its Education Support Professionals have hammered out a one-year extension to their contract.
The old contract was set to expire on June 30. The two sides began meeting in April to discuss a new deal, but at the last meeting, Norm Bartlett, a representative of the National Education Association who is serving as the ESP’s legal counsel for the negotiations, suggested that, with difficult issues such as health insurance still to be discussed, and the deadline looming, that his side would be willing to consider a one-year extension of the current contract.
The term ESP covers all nonteaching personnel in the schools, including secretaries, paraeducators, counselors, etc.
“The board is interested in engaging in that conversation,” said SVSU legal counsel Dina Atwood, of the firm Stitzel, Page, and Fletcher during open negotiations on Monday. The initial ESP offer was that health insurance stay the same, and staff members receive a 3.5 percent raise, plus step increases.
“A 3.5 percent increase, plus step, results in $179,499 increase from the employer,” she said, “It’s not insignificant, and it’s something this team is wondering if there’s some movement from you all on that part. It’s not something that the team feels their districts can, in fact, absorb those costs.”
That, along with a 7.9 percent increase in insurance costs, which is expected to cost the SVSU an additional $102,000, raises the cost increase under the ESP’s proposed contract to about $281,000.
She said that doing the step increase only, without the 3.5 percent raise, would only increase the SU’s cost by $31,000. She said the board was willing to consider a 1.5 percent increase, plus step increases. “We’re hopeful that there can be some conversation about that,” she said, “We’ve taken a huge step, this board has, from what their initial proposal was, to then pare it down to these things.”
She said the board remains very concerned about the cost of health insurance, but would agree to keep the status quo for the time being.
“We looked at the reality of the health insurance increase, and the fact that it’s an increase that hits both of us,” said Bartlett after caucusing with his team, “and we are modifying our proposal from 3.5 to 2.25 percent, with the step increase.” He said that otherwise, the contract would continue asis for one year, and the two sides would agree to begin negotiations on the next contract over the summer.
After the board representatives caucused, they counter- proposed an increase of 2 percent, plus step increases. Bartlett accepted that offer.
The two sides agreed to return to the negotiating table on Aug. 10 at 3:30 p.m. at the Career Development Center assembly room.
