After a protracted negotiation process, Wallingford Swarthmore School District teachers have a contract once more.
At their October 28 meeting, the WSSD School Board approved the collective bargaining agreement between the District and the Wallingford Swarthmore Educators Association, WSSD’s teachers union.
“We are extremely pleased to announce this contract agreement with the district’s teachers,” School Board President Kevin Henry stated in a press release. “We value our teaching staff, and believe that this contract provides a competitive salary structure that will help the district to retain and attract highly qualified educators who are passionate about our students and school community.”
Others on the school board echoed Henry’s sentiments.
“It’s been a long journey to get here, but I think we ended up in a good place,” School Board Member Dr. David Grande said at the October 28 meeting.
At the meeting, Henry thanked Grande and fellow school board member Mary Jo Witkowski-Smith for attending negotiation meetings with the union.
However, not all of the issues of the contract dispute have been resolved. According to Interim Superintendent Dr. James Scanlon, the District and WSEA are still working to clarify issues over elementary class size and teacher preparation time at the high school.
“I believe that those are all resolvable, and I believe that, with making sure this doesn’t hold things up, we’ll get those resolved rather quickly,” Scanlon said at the meeting.
WSEA and the District have agreed to form a joint Labor Management Committee to resolve the remaining issues.
Throughout the contract, the average salary increase for teachers will be 3.91%. Additionally, starting salaries for new teachers will increase from $54,000 to $61,000, and salaries for the most experienced teachers with doctorate degrees will increase from $109,00 to $114,000 in the first year of the contract, with further increases as the contract stretches on.
The contract involves no major changes to health insurance besides slight modifications in prescription coverage contribution by teachers.
The agreement marks an end to negotiations that lasted almost four months and resulted in public outcry over the treatment of teachers under previous superintendent Dr. Wagner Marseille, who left the District prior to the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.
WSEA President Billie Jo McNamara expressed satisfaction with the contract in the District’s press release.
“All WSEA members are looking forward to being able to focus solely on our most important priority which is providing the students at the Wallingford Swarthmore School District with a high-quality education,” McNamara stated.
Other school officials were glad to put the issue behind them as well.
“I’m glad we are putting this to bed,” school board member Michelle Williams said at the meeting.
