The contract negotiations between the School Committee for the Sudbury Public Schools and the Sudbury Education Association had stalled by the end of the school year.  The reasons are not public because the negotiations are ongoing and therefore not open to anyone but those people actually doing the negotiating.  Only they are privy to the particulars. However, some general information may elucidate readers.

A comparison of current compensation is below (That’s current for 2011 – 2012 unless otherwise noted – as with Newton and Burlington which, respectively, only have 2009 and 2010 online contracts.) The average salaries and Step 10 compensation on the Masters level are shown -- as delineated by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  All teachers are now required to have a Maters Degree after five years of teaching to retain a license.  And, step ten was chosen because all of the contracts chosen have a minimum of ten steps.It should be noted that “to help the town in its fiscal crisis” three years ago those teachers on steps in Sudbury agreed to forgo their step increases.

Sudbury teachers certainly feel those teachers in the systems shown below earn their salaries. However, Sudbury teachers might just feel that they should be valued as much as comparable systems value their staffs.  After all, the Sudbury Public Schools has been outperforming most of those districts for years on all kinds of state and national evaluations.  One could conclude the teachers had something to do with that.  If Sudbury cannot attract staff of the same quality because the Sudbury contract is not comparable, this level of productive education may be difficult to maintain.

Further, to compensate for the lack of salary, the benefits in the town of Sudbury were once pretty good. However with the Selectmen voted to switch the town’s employees to the GIC, Under the conditions of the new health insurance, according to the information the teachers Association provided, Sudbury teachers pay the highest rates in the state for their insurance plans.

Listed below are some towns to which the Sudbury Public Schools are compared or that are nearby. The average salary for each is displayed on the left.  On the right are the Step 10 Maters level salaries. Some examples in other contracts of extra compensation given to teachers but not shown on the salary scale are displayed below the list. 

From the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education:

http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/teachersalaries.aspx and http://educatorcontracts.doemass.org/

Average Salary                  Town                           Step 10  Masters level

$92,058                           Sherborn                  76,870  

$88,023                           Dover                           76,870 

$87,269                           Concord Carlisle         74,517  

$84,349                           Dover Sherborn         76,870 

$83,872                           Wayland                  74,416

74,600                             Worcester*(2008)  69,185 – Step 9, no Step 10 available

$81,598                           Concord                  67,202

$81,401                           Brookline                  74,473

$81,070                           Burlington  (2010) 71,617

$81,028                           Carlisle                  74,276

$80,985                           Lincoln Sudbury          68,653 ++

$80,841                           Lowell*       (2008)         72,025

$80,156                           Northboro Soutboro  73,933 

$80,003                           Minuteman*(2011)         68,442

$79,051                           Weston                     69,911 

$77,380                           Cambridge*                  69,291

$77,607                           Lincoln                  68,470  ++

$76,657                           Andover      (2009)         64,070

$76,520                           Boxborough                  68,429

$76,371                           Acton                           70,898

$76,032                           Bedford                  $75,966

$75,807                           Needham                  N/A

$74,413                           Framingham         N/A

$73,945                           Hopkinton                     68,011

$73927                           Wellesley                  69,905   ++        

$73,004                           Ashland                  67,600

$72,300                           Belmont                  69,533  

$72,188                           Northboro                  73,572 

$70,826                           Watertown* (2008) 70,266

$69,613                            Maynard      (2010)         62,217

$64,843 Sudbury Public Schools 65,749**

* Cities added for extra comparison

**Those teachers on Step 10 in Sudbury have been there for two years.

 ++ Examples of extra compensation in the contracts but not on the salary schedule that are received by the teachers.  There may be other remuneration in the contracts --this is a sampling. Currently, Sudbury Public School Teachers are offered a $200 matching donation to an approved 403b if they have one.

Example1: Acton-Boxborough  At the end of ten years a series of three “Supermax” steps are initiated at Step 10 to be added to the salary scale and are compounded in a way this writer has yet to figure out!  “Supermax Step 1  910   930   960   975   1,005   1,025   1,070                                                                  Supermax Step 2   772   1,171   1,211   1,231   1,270   1,297  1,357                                                Supermax Step 3   971   976   994   1,012   1,028   1,040   1,053”

Example 2:  Lexington:  “Beginning at year 10: $700 Beginning at year 15: $800 Beginning at year 20: $900 Beginning at year 25: $1000 Beginning at year 30: $2500.”  [The town of Lexington also compensated staff for the difference in the health care costs when they went to the GIC.  Lexington personnel report that the staff was given 80% of the difference in the first year and in the next years the percentage decreased. However, the exact language could not be found without a more extensive search.]

Example 3: Wellesley:

“Teachers and nurses who have completed 20 years of service as of the prior June 30 will

receive a longevity stipend or 3% of their base salary, whichever is less for the following years.. FY 12                    $2,637”

Example 4: Lincoln:

“The teachers shall receive as compensation the following remuneration for service in the Lincoln School System:

(a)     Completion of ten (10) years of service and every year thereafter through the fifteenth (15^th) year of serve:  $1,000

(b)     Completion of fifteen (15) years of service and every year thereafter through the twentieth (20^th) year of service: $1,500

(c)     Completion of twenty (20) years of service and every year thereafter through the twenty–fifth (25^th) year of service: $2,000

(d)     Completion of twenty-five (25) years of service and every year thereafter: $2,500

Example 5: Weston:

Longevity

Beginning at year 15: $500; Beginning at year 20: $600; Beginning at year 25: $700”

“INSURANCE AND ANNUITY PLANS

Section 1. Eligible teachers may at their request participate in a Tax-Sheltered Annuity Plan.

Section 2. The School Committee will pay:

A.    50% of a two thousand dollar group term life insurance policy;

B.    50% of the indemnity individual or family health care insurance coverage, whichever applies in the particular case;

C.    80% on the non-indemnity individual or family health care insurance coverage, whichever applies in the particular case;

The above pertains to all plans presently in effect and such plans as may be mutually agreed upon.”

Example 6:  Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School

“L-S Service Stipend

(b)

In recognition of continuing excellence in teaching and service to the school, a stipend of $500 for each five years of service at Lincoln-Sudbury as defined in Article 5.13 will be paid annually to faculty members who have been employed by Lincoln-Sudbury for more than five years.

Payment of this stipend shall be made in accordance with Section 5.9 “

“L-S Master Teacher Stipend

In recognition of continuing excellence in teaching, professional development and service to the school, a Master Teacher Stipend will be paid annually to faculty members who meet each of the following criteria. A Master Teacher:

1. has ten or more years of service at Lincoln-Sudbury as defined in Section 5.13 and is on the Masters+30 Level or beyond,

OR has twenty or more years of service at Lincoln-Sudbury as defined in Section5.13 and is on the Masters+15 Level

2. receives no step increase

For eligibility, a Master Teacher must have a current evaluation of Category 1. The Master Teacher Stipend shall be as follows:

Master Teacher Stipend

09-10 10-11 11-12

$2500         $2500          $2500”

Mary Hawes Mahoney