The Board of Education recently approved two contracts, and it is set to approve another contract at its next scheduled meeting, December 15.

At a meeting on November 4, the board voted to approve the Newtown Federation of Teachers (NFT) contract for the period of July 2016 to June 2020.

School board member Debbie Leidlein said she was proud to have worked on the negotiating team, and board member Michelle Ku and Secretary Kathy Hamilton both shared approval of the negotiation process. Ms Ku said she thought it was “a very good” negotiation, and Ms Hamilton said she thought everyone involved was “all in.”

School Board Vice Chair Laura Roche said the contract represented long hours and a lot of work.

The contract passed the board unanimously. Each year of the contract has step salary increases, with some limitations. The increases depend on degrees and length of service. The percent increases in the 2016-17 year range from 3.28 percent to 5.66 percent; in the 2017-18 year increases range from 3.28 percent to 5.74 percent; in the 2018-19 year increases range from 3.28 percent to 5.75 percent; and in the 2019-2020 year increases range from 3.28 percent to 5.75 percent, according to information provided by the district’s business office.

For the 2015-16 school year a new teacher starting in the district with a bachelor of arts degree would make $46,343, and a teacher with more than 15 years of experience and a doctorate degree would make $95,949. In the 2019-20 year the same positions would make $47,511 and $98,764, respectively.

The NFT contract also covers a range of topics, from vacancies and new position procedures to insurance.

At the November 4 meeting, the school board also unanimously approved a Memorandum of Agreement with the NFT, which, according to Superintendent of Schools Joseph V. Erardi, Jr, will allow district administrators to work with the NFT executive board to further discuss lesson planning and communication with parents and students.

At the board’s subsequent meeting, on November 17, the school board unanimously approved a Newtown Federation of Educational Personnel Contract, spanning from July 2015 to June 2019. According to the district’s Director of Business Ron Bienkowski, salary adjustments in the contract give a 2 percent increase for the first two years and 0.5 percent increase for the second two years of the four-year contract. Mr Bienkowski also told the school board the negotiators strived to keep compensation equitable with other districts.

The Board of Education is expected to discuss a contract for custodians and maintenance association members in the district at its next meeting, set for December 15.