New 5-Year Contract For Bensalem Teachers
A new 5-year contract was ratified by the 461-member Bensalem Township Education Association (BTEA) on September 16th, with the school board voting to approve during their September 28th meeting.
Board members Joseph Pettyjohn, Heather Nicholas, Michael Stewart, Marc B Cohen, Jiten Patel, and Eric Price all voted yes with Kim Rivera abstaining.
The 5-year contract begins on July 1, 2023, and will run through June 30th of 2028 will increase the starting salary for BTEA members with a bachelor’s degree to $51,952 for the 2023-24 school year.
Step increases in salary will be based on years of service and range from $750 to $1000 during each contract year.
The increase in compensation looks to be partially offset by additional state education subsidies, anticipated attrition, savings from budget reorganizations, and additional state support, which is speculative and one would think wholly dependent on the outcome of this year’s elections. It also relies on an anticipated rise in local property valuation.
The Bensalem Township SD will also continue its membership in The Bucks and Montgomery County Schools Health Care Consortium.
There are also language changes to support timely hiring practices to advance Bensalem’s position in a highly challenging education employment market.
School officials say the deal will allow Bensalem Township to continue to attract high-quality educators and retain the excellent teachers that already call Bensalem home.
“The passing of this five-year Collective Bargaining Agreement will help both retention and recruitment in Bensalem, but most importantly the passing of this five-year agreement will help the students that we educate and the community in which they live in,” – BTEA President George Daka
“This ‘early bird’ agreement —the first of its kind in decades —represents the outstanding partnership between the board, district, and members in support of the students and community we serve. Both sides focused on the recruitment and retention of the best teachers for the children of Bensalem,” Bensalem school officials said via press release.
“I would like to congratulate and thank President Daka, Chief Negotiator Egan, their team, and all BTEA members for their work throughout this process. We remain grateful for our partnership as we are united in our mission-providing a world-class education and experience for the children of Bensalem,” – Bensalem School Board President Eric Price
This is good news for Bensalem’s parents, students, and teachers that devote so much of themselves every single day to what some of us still consider an underpaid occupation