STATEMENT FROM THE GROTON DUNSTABLE REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT COMMITTEE ON THE STATUS OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE GROTON DUNSTABLE EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION
Parents, Caregivers, and Groton and Dunstable Community Members:
As many of you know, the School Committee (SC) has been engaged in contract negotiations with the GDEA since the start of the 2023-2024 school year. The initial phase of negotiation takes place in executive session, and so is kept private. At this point, the SC has entered into mediation in order to try and continue discussions and ultimately achieve some mutually agreeable solutions. Accordingly, negotiations can now be released to the public and in the interest of full accountability and transparency, the SC has chosen to do so.
The SC had agreed to start negotiations several months earlier than is typical this year in light of the extreme budget challenges that are facing our District and communities. It was the SC’s hope that in doing so, we would be able to settle a contract that would have created some budget certainty prior to the two towns going to the polls to vote on the proposed override. The SC was concerned that members of the community would be reluctant to support a budget with such a large piece that was, at that time, unsettled and unknown.
The main goals throughout this budget process, including contract negotiations, has been to create some budget sustainability for our two towns, as well as to provide competitive salaries for our District’s valued employees. Recognizing that every single teacher represents opportunities for countless students, the goal is to preserve as much of our District as is financially possible. The best way to do that, is to find ways to control costs wherever possible.
One of the ways sought to create budget sustainability was through the District’s health insurance split. The terms of the current contract provide that the District pay for 85% of premiums for employees on HMO plans and for 80% of premiums for employees on PPO plans. This is a considerably higher split than, not only our market basket, but also the state average. Accordingly, we have consistently maintained that any contract must include adjustments to this split . A health insurance change would apply to all employees of the District, including teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators and all staff and would represent a considerable annual savings overall to the District budget.
The following information represents an overview of the negotiations to date, including minutes of meetings and all proposals from both sides. It is our sincere hope that these negotiations will continue and we will come to an agreement that will create a sustainable budget necessary to support a sustainable financial future for our employees and two communities.
You can find all SC GDEA negotiation information using the link below:
https://www.gdrsd.org/page/school-committee
Fay Raynor
Chair
(On behalf of the ) Groton Dunstable Regional School District School Committee
