New contract approved by local school district means no raises for teachers

CENTERVILLE — Money problems are forcing employees at a local school district to sacrifice their pay.

On Tuesday the Centerville Board of Education gave a summary of its new collective bargaining agreement between the board and the Centerville Classroom Teachers Association.

The new agreement, which will go into effect on July 1, stipulates a 0% increase to the base salary for all district employees for the next two years.

Centerville Superintendent Jon Wesney said the board has been working to reach an agreement with the teachers’ association since January.

“This agreement highlights a strong partnership between the Board of Education and our dedicated staff as we work together to provide a high-quality education for all students while helping to reduce the district’s deficit spending,” Wesney said.

>> RELATED: Voters reject tax levy looking to benefit Centerville schools

In March voters rejected a levy for a second time that would have generated $11.2 million each year for the district’s operational expenses.

Board Vice President John Doll spoke at the meeting about the sacrifices teachers are making.

“Those teachers are giving up that money not only for those two years, but for the next 10 years, and the next 20 years..that doesn’t include the compound (interest) that would be on that as inflation would go up,” Doll said.

Doll called on the community to “step up” and help fund education for the community.

“The community has to understand it’s not our staff’s job to pay for the education of our children, it’s the community’s job,” he said.

The new contract also includes a 1% non-recurring stipend, up to a maximum of $1,000, that is not added to the base salary.

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