The Westfield Washington Board of School Trustees unanimously approved a new contract with the Westfield Classroom Teachers Association on Tuesday.
The new contract is effective April 19, 2011 through December 31, 2013. The contract provides a .5 percent increase in salary and minor language changes. “Dr. Mark Keen, superintendent said, “This agreement provides a very small salary increase and allows the school district and teachers time to plan for and implement changes coming from the state. It also ensures a balanced budget.”
In November 2010, the community passed a referendum to help replace a portion of the money the district had lost because of state cuts. The referendum would have provided $4.6 million to the district, but with a decrease in AV, the district will collect $4.5 million (half in May and half in November). The referendum was to ensure staff would not be reduced (40-45 teaching positions would have been cut for 2011-12) and to eliminate deficit financing due to state budget cuts. “No referendum money will be used for the increase in teacher’s salaries,” Keen added.