3-year contract gives Brewer teachers pay raise

BREWER – The co-presidents of the Brewer Teacher’s Association, the group’s chief negotiator, the superintendent and the Brewer School Committee chairman officially signed a three-year teachers’ contract Monday night that gives educators a 10.25 percent raise spread over the next three years.

Teachers will be given a 3 percent raise this year that is retroactive to Aug. 31, the end of the previous contract, and will receive a 3.5 percent raise next year and a 3.75 percent raise in 2008-09.

“We’ve been negotiating since February,” Superintendent Daniel Lee told the school board during its regular meeting. “It’s been a pleasure, and we have come to an agreement.”

Lee signed the contract along with Chairman Mark Farley, BEA co-presidents Kim Kelley and Darrell King, and negotiator Tim Hackett.

“I am pleased we are able to get that out of the way and are able to move down the road,” Farley said after the signing.

The contract also includes full health insurance coverage for teachers, with 85 percent coverage for dependents for this year, covering 81 percent of dependent coverage for next year and dropping the amount to 77 percent for 2008-09.

The school committee, after holding a closed-door meeting to evaluate the superintendent, also gave Lee a 3.5 percent raise to his approximately $90,000 base salary, and extended his contract by one year. Lee’s contract now expires in 2012.

During the meeting, the board also:

. Heard that Husson College is offering five high school upper-class members the opportunity to take classes at the private college and earn both college and high school credit. The college is offering the courses for free starting in January and also is providing the textbooks.

. Listened to a report from Athletic Director Dennis Kiah about the Maine Principals’ Association decision to move Brewer High School up to Class A for football and ice hockey.

. Accepted retirements, effective in June, from Linda Norton, high school English teacher; Ronel Delano-Ellis, high school guidance councilor; and Margret Marshall, reading teacher at Washington Street School.

. Listened to a presentation about the Jobs for Maine’s Graduates program at Brewer Middle School titled Project Reach and the possibility of the program expanding to the high school.

. Approved three policies covering admission of homeless students, copyright compliance and employee computer and Internet use; held the first reading of two additional policies covering curriculum development and student records; and rescinded maintenance of the student records policy.

. Accepted a gift from the Parents-Teachers United for new playground equipment and resurfacing for Washington Street School, worth in total $12,825.

. Agreed to pursue a U.S. Air Force Junior ROTC program for the high school that would begin next fall.

. Heard that 67 percent of seniors have indicated they will go on to college, an increase of 2 percent over last year.