Rochester Teachers Association approved a contract for the next three years, and the District School Board voted 7-0 in favor of it

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Tuesday night, the Rochester Teachers Association and the District School Board agreed on a contract for the next three years. In short, the board says it will make it easier for teachers and the district to work together. It will also help the district keep teachers at a time when it needs more staff.

The contract will give teachers an annual raise of 3.8% and a $1,500 incentive to hire and keep teachers. It also gives teachers an hourly wage for professional and curriculum development and makes it clear that they need to keep in touch with parents regularly.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Camine Peluso said, “I think we have a contract that is good for kids and fair for teachers.”

Peluso said that the main goal of these talks is to keep teachers working in the district.

“We did give our staff a bonus to stay with us for this year, next year, and the year after that. The money came from the American Rescue Plan Funds,” he said.

But Audrey Sowell, a sixth-grade teacher, says this contract needs more work. She says that teachers have it better down the road in a different district.

“Less stress. More pay. Sowell said, “We need more help.”

She said that these three things would bring in great teachers.

She said, “We need qualified teachers who are PAID and want to work in this district.”

But Teachers Union President Adam Urbanski said on Tuesday that this contract is competitive and that 80% of teachers agreed with it.

“Most of the teachers we talk to agree that the contract is good for students and fair to teachers,” he said.

The start date of this contract was July 1 of last year.

FULL PRESS RELEASE FROM THE ROCHESTER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT:

“This evening, the Rochester Board of Education approved the tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Rochester Teacher Association. The RCSD/RTA contract strengthens the collaboration and partnership between teachers and the District and places additional focus on improved teaching and learning. It also helps the District recruit and retain staff, provides opportunities for increased professional learning, and ensures staff availability at dismissal to help keep students safe. Highlights of the three-year contract include the following:

●       An annual 3.8% general salary increase each year of the agreement, retroactive to July 1, 2022. Additionally, a recruitment and retention incentive of $1,500 will be provided to teachers who finish the school year, the first two years of the agreement.

●       Increased hourly compensation for professional development and curriculum development time to afford growth, support, and consistency across the District.

●       Reinforce the commitment that teachers will regularly communicate with parents, including the use of District electronic communication.

●       Collaborative planning time connects to school improvement plans and District-identified priorities, and that instruction reflects differentiated learning and culturally responsive practices.

●       Special education teachers will be afforded additional time to focus on individual student case management and quality IEPs.