6/25/14 - The 292 teachers in the Brighton Area Schools district have ratified a five-year contract that educators say will help give the district financial stability over the next several years. Brighton Education Association President Ellen Lafferty says teachers approved the contract by what she called a "comfortable" margin, with voting conducted Tuesday. The Board of Education unanimously approved the new contract during its meeting on Monday night. Lafferty and Superintendent Greg Gray both say the negotiations over the last four months were conducted collaboratively, and Gray added they were marked by what he calls "a spirit of trust and understanding". The new contract for Brighton teachers takes effect September 1st and contains a zero increase in pay and benefits â in effect, a long-term pay freeze. Lafferty told WHMI that with Brighton still in a deficit situation and the current state education funding, there was little or no wiggle room to negotiate a pay increase. However, she says there is a salary and benefits re-opener in each year of the contract, to allow for possible adjustments. So-called "step" increases for teachers â which have meant automatic increases in seniority each year, with a concurrent hike in salary, are still in effect with the new contract. However, unlike in the past, there will be no parallel pay increase, unless new money becomes available. (TT/JM)
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