It replaces the previous contract that expired in June
PENNINGTON -- The Hopewell Valley Regional school board this week approved a three-year contract with the 401-member teachers' union, replacing the previous contract that expired in June.
File photo of the Hopewell Valley School District Administration Building in Pennington "I would like to thank the Hopewell Valley Education Association representatives and the board negotiations committee for their efforts to come to agreement with a fair contract," board president Lisa Wolff said. "The process, timing and eventual results led to a win for our staff, students and community."
The new agreement includes salary increases of 2.8, 2.6 and 2.4 percent over the next three years and some changes to the health benefits.
The district is switching to a new health plan with lower premiums that Wolff said will save the district, staff and taxpayers money.
This year's 2.8 percent salary increase, which will be paid retroactively, was offset by prescription plan savings and marks the greatest pay raise among teachers in Mercer County, Wolff said.
"Since our contract settled more quickly than agreements in neighboring districts, we were able to both realize the prescription savings sooner and consequently share those savings with our teachers," she said. "Not only did the timeframe provide an opportunity for shared savings, but also it is refreshing for the community to skip the public tension that often accompanies negotiations."
Other changes include:
- The amount of time a teacher can take on a personal leave of absence was reduced from two years to one
- As of the 2017-18 school year, the most expensive insurance option will no longer be available
- A teacher may be given the option to provide academic assistance for students in place of completing an assigned duty
- The rate teachers are paid for professional development taken outside of work was set at $26 per hour
- The board may offer training to teachers on a voluntary basis to help with district-wide initiatives
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
