Schools

Novi Teachers Make Sizable Compromises in Contract Agreement

Novi teachers forgo another year of salary step increases.

A two-year contract agreement approved by the Novi school board last week will also likely be approved by Novi teachers, despite containing several areas of compromise, according to Novi Education Association (NEA) spokesperson Seth Furlow.

Among other terms, the agreement calls for a half percent wage reduction and no salary step raises, which are added to teachers’ pay after they gain a certain amount of experience. 

“We have not had both step increases and salary increases combined since the 2010-2011 school year, although we are one of the top districts in the State,” Furlow, a science teacher at Novi High School, said in an email to Patch.

Find out what's happening in Noviwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Teachers have until noon Tuesday to vote in their school buildings; then the votes will be counted and certified by the NEA board of directors and the school board.

Novi teachers have been working without a contract since August, which Furlow said is the longest for the district in some time. The negotiating teams from both sides met 16 times over the last few months and reached a tentative contract agreement Nov. 26. 

Find out what's happening in Noviwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Teachers know school board is in a tight spot

Furlow said Novi teachers understand that the school board is in a tough position.

“We hope they value the work we do, and the public recognition our district gets, as a direct result of the talented teachers, and dedicated families and students we have in Novi,” he said in the email. 

Novi school board President Dennis O'Connor commended the teachers’ willingness to compromise, saying it is a “badly needed step in the right direction” in addressing the district’s funding issues.

"The teachers union's willingness to eliminate step raises for one year will bring an additional $800-$900,000 to our budget," he said at Thursday's board meeting.

Furlow said the real battle has to be at the state level in securing better funding and on the decisions Governor Rick Snyder’s administration is making on public education.

“We hope the Board of Education will join us in fighting for increased funding from the state, which will impact all students in Novi. They deserve better than this,” he said.

See highlights from the Novi teachers' contract agreement. 


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