ROCKWOOD: TEACHERS HAVE A NEW APPROACH AFTER REACHING A CONTRACT AGREEMENT WITH THE DISTRICT
The optics were problematic because the district had already said no to a similar raise request from teachers. (Rockwood later explained that Cain's raise would be dependent on the raises that teachers get. For more information about the negotiations, see the district's Frequently Asked Questions page, here.)
NEW NORMAL
Emboldened after so much tension and frustration, teachers say their union has laid out a plan for them to work toward a "new normal," where they are truly valued, respected, and seen as "equal partners in shaping the direction of our district." The teachers union is the RNEA, which stands for Rockwood National Education Association.
UNITY
Teachers tell us, to show continued unity, the RNEA is suggesting that teachers wear their RNEA pins every day, wear red once a week, and attend school board meetings.
AVOID BURNOUT
To avoid burnout, teachers are being encouraged not to fall back into unsustainable work loads, which means assessing whether it's too much to be on committees or perform other volunteer duties.
(During negotiations, some teachers stepped down from committees and other volunteer duties to draw attention to how much work they do outside of the typical school day.)
DON'T RUBBER STAMP FOR ADMINISTRATION
If they decide to be on committees, they are being asked to amplify teacher voices to be an equal partner with the district in decision making, rather than allowing the committees to be administrative "rubber stamps."
WHAT TEACHERS GOT
At first glance, agreeing to 10% instead of the 12% they already rejected may seem like a bad deal for teachers. Actually, they will make more in the next two school years than they would have.
The increments now are 5.25% in year one and 4.75% in year two. Year two was previously 3.25%. The third year will have to be negotiated later and will be dependent on whether a tax levy increase makes it onto the ballot and passes, according to information from the district.
NOT EVERYBODY GETS 10%
Teachers have again emphasized that the 10% raise is still just an average, over multiple pay steps, based on experience and education. One teacher shared with us that her raise works out to 9.4%, for example.
Also once again, the raise is substantially less for Rockwood's most experienced teachers.
MORE EXPERIENCE = 5.8%, NOT 10%
Approximately 200 of Rockwood's longest serving teachers will get just a 5.8% raise over the two years instead of 10%, according to calculations using the new salary steps.
All 200 teachers affected have 25 or more years of service at pay steps MA, MA 15, and MA 30. (A Master's degree, a Master's degree plus 15 education credits, and a Master's degree plus 30 education credits.)
The salary grids are complex visually, so we summarized those pay steps into the graph below. The actual salary grids are at the bottom of this post.
Much smaller in number, teachers with doctorates and 25+ years also get the 5.8% raise.
Note: The 5.8% is better than the 4.4% that was in the previous deal. We're told the teachers union pushed hard to get it that high.
WHY LESS?
As we previously reported, the district caps pay steps at 25 years of service, meaning teachers with more than 25 years experience can't move up a step for their additional years of service the way other teachers do. It's part of an agreement made several years ago.
SPOTLIGHT
The spotlight has been on teacher pay the last several months, because salary data shows Rockwood teacher pay ranked 20th among the same area school districts where the district superintendent's pay ranked 7th. A union survey has showed some teachers work extra jobs to pay their bills.
EASILY PASSED
Teachers tell us this contract was approved easily.
89% of teachers who voted, voted yes.
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ROCKWOOD TEACHER SALARY STEPS FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS
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| Source: Rockwood teachers. Current agreed upon steps stop at 25, where the line is drawn. |
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