A New Year and a New Contract

By Olivia Hamel

Every three years the Hopkinton teachers get to update their teaching contracts, a negotiation goes on between the School Board and the teachers. On one side of the negotiation, are School Board members that contribute in the negotiation of the renewal of the contracts. The specific members are two school board members, the Superintendent, (Mr. Chamberlin), and the Business Manager, (Michelle Clark).

On the other side of the negotiation table are the teachers, who choose one main person to represent them in the negotiation, that person is called the spokesperson for the teachers. This year the teacher that was chosen for this job was, Mr. Brizard, Head of the math department at Hopkinton High School. Other representatives serving on the board are four teachers that are chosen to represent the three schools that Hopkinton has in its town, Harold Martin, PK-3, Maple Street, 4-6 and Hopkinton Middle High School, 7-12.

This renewal was long over due, for the past year the teachers have not had an “official” contract and were running off of the guidelines from the previous year’s contract. The cause of this delay in the production of a renewed contract is disagreement concerning the contract that was originally drafted up and voted on in October. In regards as to why the original contract was rejected by town voters, Mr. Chamberlin, Superintendent, stated that, “The contract that did not get approved in October was innovative-probably too innovative for the time.” Meaning that the contract that was first drafted up was not appropriate for the time in which it was constructed. So a revote had to take place, and the negotiators had to go back to the drawing board and construct a new contract.

The final contract that was voted and agreed on by most parties, was one that now means teachers have to work two additional days to what was the previous agreement. Although, in return teachers are receiving enhanced benefits, such as increased life and dental insurance. When a teacher, Mr. Brizard, was asked how this change personally worked for him he responded that, “it works fine for me personally.” Along with the enhancement of the benefits there was also an exchange in other types of benefits, the teachers now receive $200 in an F.S.A account, Flexible Spending Account, in exchange for a differing prescription plan that was presumably preferred.

Through all negotiations some compromises have to be made and the teachers did not receive all that they had asked for originally. Such as a modest pay increase, or in other words a step increase, for the three years that the contract is valid. However, the compromises that were made between the teachers and the taxpayers seem to be one that leaves everyone satisfied.