GlenEva Dunham, left, and Paige McNulty

District will pay Gary teachers for performance, teachers wanted severance pay, too

Contributed By:The 411 News

One year contracts are now the norm between the Gary Community School Corp and its teachers represented by the Gary Teachers Union - AFT Local 4. When district and union officials gather Monday, December 27 for a formal signing of the 2021-22 contract, it will be after negotiations reached an impasse in November and a state mediator came in to help resolve disputes.

Negotiations were smooth for the 2020-2021 contract.year.

GTU President GlenEva Dunham said severance pay for teachers was the big roadblock. "It was in last year's contract. Now this year, the district wants to take it out. Severance has always been in our contracts."

The new agreement shows the district got much of what it wanted in the reduction of teachers' severance benefits for 2021-22; and after 2023, no severance stipends will be paid for accumulated sick leave days.

Until now, teachers leaving the Gary school district could count on getting paid, depending on years of service up to $100 a day for a maximum of 150 accumulated sick days plus a lump sum termination payout.

For 2021-22, the maximum sick days accumulation is 75 at $30 per day. The termination payout is $5,000. For 2022-23, maximum sick leave accumulation will be cut to 45 days. Gary teachers earn 1 sick or personal leave day per month.

Now, severance benefits will only be available to teachers with 20 and more years of service.

The new contract gives teachers a 3% raise and sets performance incentives that can add up to $7,000 to their yearly salary.

GCSC Manager Dr. Paige McNulty said, “This agreement also highlights the need for our performance as a district to improve. By including these incentives and benchmarks, we hope to see improvements across the board, especially in academics.”

Teachers can earn up to $3,000 more a year in 2021-22 when they are not absent more than 1 day per month. The $300 is paid monthly.

Teachers will be able to earn up to $3,000 in 2021-22 related to performance-based incentives determined by their school settings.

For preschool teachers, 70% of students move up one scale on the indicators of letter recognition, object counting, and rote counting.

For elementary and middle school teachers, 50% of students reach typical growth in Math or English Language Arts.

For high school teachers, achieve a 75% graduation rate.

At the Gary Career Center, 65% of eligible students enrolled in programs earn the offered certification.

A $1,000 retention stipend will be paid to teachers who were employed in the district on the last day of school, June 1, 2021 and their employment continues through the last day of school, May 31, 2022.

“The Gary Community Schools contract was received and voted on,” said Dunham. “As educators, we understand that we are still under state control and that negotiations are a two-way street. The stipends that we’ve negotiated are doable, and I believe all my fellow educators will strive to go beyond what is needed to teach their students.”

Story Posted:12/26/2021