Providence teachers OK pact: 3% raise, 15% co-share
9:51 AM Thu, Jun 25, 2009 | Permalink
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By Linda Borg CRANSTON, R.I. -- The Providence Teachers Union voted overwhelmingly Thursday morning to approve a new contract, its first in five years. Teachers voted 947 to 73 in favor of the three-year contract, with four members abstaining. The vote was ratified by 9:30 a.m. "This was a tough vote in tough economic times," PTU president Steve Smith said. "We've done our part again." As teachers began filing into Rhodes on the Pawtuxet at 7 a.m. for the vote, many members said that while the contract wasn't ideal, it satisfied their need for a modest raise. The contract is retroactive to 2007 and 2008. All teachers receive a total 3 percent raise over the three years. The teachers also agreed to pay 15 percent of their health-insurance costs, which is what Mayor David N. Cicilline was asking from all city unions. Under the proposed new contract, teachers hired prior to the 2004-05 school year would pay $867 for individual coverage and $2,316 for a family. Teachers hired after Sept. 1, 2004, who are covered by UnitedHealthCare, not Blue Cross, pay $355 for individual coverage and $937 per year for family coverage. That would not change with the new contract. Copays for emergency room visits would jump from $25 per visit to $100 with a $200-cap per person and $300-cap per family. The Providence School Board is expected to vote on the contract Tuesday night. 
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"As teachers began filing into Rhodes on the Pawtuxet at 7 a.m. for the vote, many members said that while the contract wasn't ideal, it satisfied their need for a modest raise."
Ummmmmm...ok let me get this straight: Teachers get a 3% raise, retroactive and all, while most wages across the USA are frozen and/or declining. They pay about $40 a week for full FAMILY coverage and get the summers off. Yet this contract "wasn't ideal"? Is it any wonder why they are so despised? The lack of awareness and gratitude, combined with the overt selfishness, it's truly disturbing.
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Still the best deal in town. Where else can you work 180 days, get three vacations during the school year, and the entire summer off.
That, no merit pay requirment and retirement after 28 years.
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So they get a raise, but if the firefighters want one after 6 years, they're "greedy union thugs"? Thank God I left RI.
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not a bad deal. School teachers have the best deal in town and they don't even realize it. How about they start contributing more for their "guaranteed" retirement as well. Retroactive pay is crazy. How much is that going to the cost the city and will that be a lump sum payout? RIDICULOUS. Not to mention the performance of the schools in the city is mediocre at best. How about we base pay on the "performance" of the schools then maybe the teachers would put in a bit more effort instead of working to get to the next vacation or next summer off... ROBBERY.
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teachers spend more time with these kids than some of their parents, give them the respect they deserve because you have athletes that make way more than the teachers who educated them. Teachers have to deal with these kids and oversized classrooms and trying to meet the individual needs of every child in their classroom.
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Teachers no longer get to retire after 28 years. Teachers do not work only 180 days a year because they work more days than the children are in school and have professional development days that are required.
There are many good teachers and they would relish a pay for performance scenario so that the deadweight wouldn't give teachers such a bad stigma. However, you can't use overall school performance as you can't lump a single teacher into the performance of the whole school.
The thing that I don't understand about people that hate on teachers and how "easy" and "great" their job is... why didn't you just go to school and become a teacher? You had the same opportunity to go into this career. Why didn't you? Because teachers make less money than most other careers that you all went on to pursue.
Some people will never be satisfied.
FYI, I'm not a teacher (thank god)... but the hatred shown toward teachers is mind boggling.
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To begin with, teachers are targets for irrational anger. As a group of professionals, this is difficult to understand. Why are fewer people choosing teaching as a profession? Teachers do not get vacations. We are required to update certification, required to pay for college tuition while updating certification, (costing thousands of dollars), must attend professional development during vacations and the summer, and in Providence, we will ALL be required to interview for our jobs. This is not a complaint. I think that teachers should be required to do these things, and that students are held to higher standards to be successful. However, in Providence, there are many, many ESL students who are tested unfairly, and those test results are just factored into the entire population, despite the fact that some of these students have been in this country for only one year, and in some cases, do not have the comprehension skills they need to take a test. There will be no more seniority system, which should eliminate the problem of "truant" teachers (that's been a problem). Good teachers work very hard, and if you doubt that, it's time to visit your neighborhood classroom. Would you want their job? Many teachers are teachers because they love children and will sacrifice other jobs and opportunities in life to improve the lives of children. Would you?
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