St. Mary's school board, EASMC move toward contract; teachers to start at $60,500

St. Mary’s public school teachers and employees may be earning a lot more thanks to a tentative four-year agreement reached Feb. 23 between the board of education and the Education Association of St. Mary’s County.

The agreements are in line with the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the state’s education reform plan.

“I do think we have some really great improvements in the language, and of course as far as money is concerned a lot depends on receiving the appropriate funding from the state and the county commissioners,” Education Association of St. Mary’s County President Sarah Penrod said in a telephone interview. “But I do believe we have some great improvements. And of course there’s always more work to be done, but for the current budget climate that we are in, I think we did make some great strides.”

Superintendent Scott Smith said he “could not be more pleased” with the negotiating teams and that “there was great compromise on both ends to get a negotiated agreement that is absolutely inspirational.”

The county school board and EASMC are each scheduled to vote soon on ratifying the agreement.

Liz Purcell Leskinen, Maryland State Education Association UniServ director and EASMC chief negotiator, said in a release that the agreement “supports the local implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, including highly qualified and motivated educators and support professionals, to ensure every student equal access to a great education.”

Should the contract pass, the minimum unconditional starting teacher’s salary will be $60,500 for certificated educators. It is currently $52,500.

Penrod said the raise was one topic she was unable to specifically comment on. She said, “EASMC always strives to move public education forward and we have to do it fairly for both of our bargaining units, both certificated staff and education support professionals.”

There will also be implementation of a career ladder for certificated staff.

In addition, an annual step progression on the salary scales will be put in place for each year of the agreement and enhancements will be made to course tuition reimbursement, including an additional incentive for teachers to pursue their masters degree.

“When teachers and support staff see what we agreed to, they’re going to feel respected, heard,” Smith said, “and ultimately on a professional path to be appropriately compensated for the incredible work they do.”

Lastly, there will be a compensation incentive for teachers who gain National Board Certification and for teachers who transfer to one of the county’s Blueprint schools, which are George Washington Carver Elementary School, Spring Ridge Middle School and Great Mills High School.

“The state legislation has said that if you are nationally board certified then you will receive $10,000 more per year,” Penrod said. “And if you teach at a Blueprint school and are nationally board certified, you will get another $7,000 on top of that.”