We respectfully offer a reminder to all Pittsfield voters that you will have the opportunity to cast your vote regarding a new proposed teacher collective bargaining agreement from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 19, at Town Hall.
A letter in last week’s Suncook Valley Sun stated inaccurate information regarding this important vote. The letter stated that “there will be a special day of voting at the town hall from 7 to 7 on September 19 to reconsider the teacher’s contract that was turned down at the School Meeting last March.” Make no mistake here, this statement is simply not true.
In fact, several distinct elements differentiate this proposed contract from the one that was narrowly rejected by the voters at school district meeting in March. These differences include:
- Term: the term of the previous proposal was three years; the term of the new proposal is a one-year;
- Salary Schedule: the previous proposal included a 1% increase of the salary schedule; the current contract contains no increase;
- Incentives: the previous proposal included modest salary incentives for teachers to remain in Pittsfield; the current contract contains no incentive salary increases.
- Maximum Step Increases: the previous proposal included a .1% per year increase for senior teachers on the maximums step; the current contract does not include an increase for senior teachers.
- Cost: the estimated increased cost of the previous proposal was $113,319; the estimated cost of the new proposal is $66,486.
- Tax Impact: the estimated tax impact of the previous proposal was $.43/thousand; the estimated tax impact of the new proposal is $.25/thousand.
Following the March vote, the Board reinstituted negotiations with the Education Association of Pittsfield and agreed to a new and different proposal. While we remain disappointed in the rejection of the previous proposal, we strongly encourage your support of the new proposal with a YES vote on Tuesday, September 19.
Submitted by the Pittsfield School Board
Mike Wolfe, chair; Bea Douglas, vice-chair; Linda Freese, Ted Mitchell, Ralph Odell