Officials hope new Scranton teachers contract will aid in recruitment, retention
Dec. 2—Officials hope new contracts for Scranton teachers and paraprofessionals will help recruit and retain district employees.
Scranton school directors unanimously approved an early bird deal with the Scranton Federation of Teachers on Wednesday night, an hour after the union overwhelmingly accepted the offer.
The contract will bring the district closer to what other local districts offer teachers at the start of their careers. By the end of the contract, a first-year teacher salary will increase by nearly 25% — from the current $41,377 for a teacher with a bachelor's degree on step one to $52,028.
The union has long blamed the starting salary, lower than what other districts offer new teachers, as an obstacle in finding and keeping employees. The national teacher shortage has made it even harder for the district to recruit new employees.
"We have been bleeding teachers because of our salaries," said Rosemary Boland, president of the Scranton Federation of Teachers. "Everyone went in with the mindset, 'let's make sure the contract affords us the ability to retain teachers or bring them back to Scranton.' "
Teachers on steps one through 13 will receive a 4% raise next year, and teachers on steps 14 through 16 will receive 2%. All steps will receive $3,000 increases in 2024-25, followed by 3%, 2% and 0.5% in subsequent years. Several health insurance options will be available with a cost to employees, but a reference-based pricing plan from Performance Health will be offered with no premium share.
On a teacher salary schedule, teachers move up a step for each year of service and can move over columns for graduate degrees and college credits. A teacher with a master's degree on step 16, the top step, will see salary increase from $81,226 to $91,520 by the end of the contract.
The new contract will start in September and go through the 2027-28 school year. The deal follows years of labor strife in the district. The current deal, which expires in August, came after a 12-day strike last fall.
Paraprofessionals, some of the lowest paid employees in the district, will receive 6% raises each year. Starting salaries for paraprofessionals will increase from $18,024 to $24,120 through the five years. Paraprofessionals at the step 17, the highest step on the salary schedule, will make $41,327 at the end of the contract.
The district built reserves into the budget and will use some of the additional state funding received to help pay for the raises. Health care options will also produce savings, officials said.
Teacher and paraprofessional turnover rates negatively impact district students, Superintendent Melissa McTiernan said.
"The salaries in the new contract reflect a positive step forward. Recruitment and retention is a major issue in the education profession at this time." she said. "We are hopeful that this agreement will boost morale, attract highly qualified educators and aid in the goal of maintaining our incredibly talented staff."
Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter.
