Roughly a month after it shot down a previous proposal, the Rochester Board of Education has approved a one-year extension of the district's union contract with its teachers.
The extension is subject to the approval of the Rochester Teachers Association's Representative Assembly, which is set to vote on it at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
It includes a 4% salary increase for RTA members and a $2,500 retention incentive for teachers who are with the district at the end of the coming school year and the start of the one after that.
"The extension not only represents a step forward in strengthening support for educators, it also lays the foundation for continued work toward a long-term agreement that promotes academic success and stability in every school community," Superintendent Eric Rosser said ahead of the board's vote Thursday.
The district and the union pursued the extension so they could negotiate a new multi-year contract.
The board voted down a previous proposal, with several members saying at the time that they were not given enough time or information to effectively review it.
Rosser, who started in his position last month, and RTA President Adam Urbanski worked to develop the new extension proposal, which the board passed 6-0. Commissioner James Patterson was absent for the vote.
Urbanski said the extension buys time for Rosser to get acclimated to the district, and to have a full year to negotiate a new multi-year contract with the union.
He added that there are issues beyond compensation that need to be discussed, including safety and security for students and teachers, class sizes, and student supports.
"It substantially increases the likelihood that we will be able to retain the teachers that we have currently, and that we would be able to attract new teachers who are desperately needed in our district," Urbanski said. "We have an inordinate number of vacancies at a time when there is a general teacher shortage in all the districts in our area are competing for good teachers."
