The East Greenbush Central School District and East Greenbush Teachers Association have agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement. The contract was ratified by the teachers last week and approved by the Board of Education at a public meeting on Wednesday evening.
The four-year contract covers 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26 and 2026-27.
The contract includes salary increases for teachers and health insurance cost savings for the district. The agreement will also help the school district compete for highly qualified teachers as public schools are currently experiencing a shortage of qualified candidates. Under provisions within the agreement, the school district will now have additional discretion to hire experienced teachers for vacant positions at competitive salary levels.
Additionally, an existing retirement incentive was expanded from two years to four years of eligibility so that successful teachers with experience can remain in the classroom for additional time continuing to serve students without financial loss.
Statement from Superintendent Jeff Simons
“We have first rate teachers and related service providers in East Greenbush. The agreement we’ve achieved together recognizes their exceptional service to students and the community. Several provisions within the new agreement better position our district to overcome challenges our schools face such as rising employee benefit costs and a shrinking pool of qualified teacher applicants. The agreement addresses these issues to help our school district sustain high quality, affordable education for our community. Working together with the EGTA, we achieved a win-win.”
Statement from EGTA President Alison Savoca
“The EGTA is grateful for the collective work put in by both parties to reach a settlement on our successor agreement. The value of our educators and related service providers is directly linked to the exceptional quality of learning and services provided by this school district. It is our hope that the EGTA and the East Greenbush CSD can continue to work together to be a model for years to come of the positive societal impact of education in our communities. Our educators are second to none!”
Statement from Board of Education President Michael Buono
“The board is very appreciative of the work of our EGTA staff and that we were able to come to an agreement that can support the teaching and learning of our students. I want to thank everyone involved for coming together and finding common ground. The board was pleased to be able to approve the resolution of the agreement.”