A negotiated agreement between the Newcastle Association of Classroom Teachers and the school’s negotiations team had several changes which were approved by Superintendent Melonie Hau, and the Newcastle Board of Education. As well, the board approved an end-of-year bonus for teachers.
The teachers agreement was approved at the board’s April meeting, and included changes to the number of teaching days and contract hours worked. The old agreement stated 175 teaching days and five professional days or a minimum of 1,073 contract hours. The new agreement is for 160 teaching days and five professional days or a minimum of 1,080 hours. It also states that the professional day will not exceed six hours per day.
For any professional development required of teachers outside of the teacher’s work year, they will be compensated at the rate of $60 per full day or six hours, and $40 for half day, or three hours. The teachers are also being allocated a minimum of three hours to work in their classrooms on the two work days prior to the beginning of school.
The definition of a virtual day was added to the agreement, and includes office hours, preparing lessons and instruction, and helping students.
Another change is the addition on assignment of duties of “the building principal shall make every effort to effectively and efficiently create a fair and equitable duty schedule,” and provides for compensation, according to the compensation schedule, if the duties extend past 15 minutes before or after school.
Another agreement discusses the combining of classes due to teacher absence. It notes that when a teacher is required to absorb students from another class (due to a teacher’s absence and inability to provide a substitute teacher), they shall be compensated at $6 per hour for up to 10 students, or $12.50 per hour for more than 10 students per class.
A change in the Sick Leave Sharing Plan from the previous agreement is that an employee is no longer required to provide a medical certificate from a licensed physician or healthcare practitioner verifying the nature and expected duration of the medical condition. The plan also removes the school board as the determining body as to whether the person has abided by all district leave policy.
As well, a new pay scale was added for certified teachers who have been with the district for 34 years.
A request by Superintendent Dr. Melonie Hau for employee bonuses was approved for the 2022-2023 school year. All employees who are currently employed through May 11, 2023, and have been employed since the beginning of the school year will receive a $1,200 bonus to be paid on the May 11 payroll.
Employees who started their employment with the District after the regular start date of that type of contract will receive a prorated amount of the bonus based on the total months employed. The bonus will not include lay coaches.
