The Harford County Board of Education and the Harford County Education Association, the local teachers' union, have reached a tentative agreement on a teacher compensation package and contract that includes a 1.5 percent pay increase for all teachers, plus a 3 percent salary step and longevity increase for all eligible educators.
The school system announced the news Wednesday evening, shortly after school board negotiators and teacher's union negotiators reached their tentative agreement on the compensation package and contract.
"I don't think any of it would have been possible without the hard work and advocacy of HCEA members," Ryan Burbey, the local union president, said Thursday.
The salary increases will take effect when the 2015-2016 fiscal year begins July 1, Burbey said.
The agreement with the teachers' union is the last to be approved; the board has also reached tentative or verbal agreements with its other four unions, according to the press release.
Those agreements also come with salary increases, according to HCPS spokesperson Jillian Lader.
The other four unions include those representing school administrators, "instructional support" employees such as secretaries and inclusion helpers, "non-instructional support" employees such as bus drivers and maintenance workers and then supervisors, according to the HCPS website.
School Superintendent Barbara Canavan and her aides found $7 million that could be cut from the school system's proposed fiscal 2016 budget to support the teacher salary increases, according to a news release from Harford County Public Schools.
Canavan, her staff, board members and "school community" members have been working since August to find ways to save money and improve teacher salaries, according to the news release.
Harford County Executive Barry Glassman plans to increase next year's county funding for schools by $4.5 million compared to the county's allocation for the current year, and he has recommended that $3.1 million of that increase go for teacher salary bumps.
"I think County Executive Glassman played a key role with his leadership on prioritizing teachers and human capital throughout the county," Burbey said.
That $3.1 million would be combined with the $7 million in school budget savings, according to the news release.
"It is my belief that this proposed compensation package will serve as an initial step to improve the long overdue compensation adjustments for our workforce," Canavan stated.
The HCEA represents about 3,200 school system employees, including teachers, guidance counselors, media specialists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, hearing and speech clinicians and psychologists, according to the union's website.
Teachers and their supporters packed the school board meeting room Monday and pleaded for full funding of salary steps in the next budget.
Steps are annual salary increases paid to teachers for longevity and improving their credentials. The steps are also part of the negotiated contract between teachers and the school board.
"The collaboration with Superintendent Canavan and her staff over the last two years has shown our dedication to maintain the level of education the students of Harford County Public Schools deserve while recognizing the need to enhance employee compensation," school board President Nancy Reynolds stated.
The last salary increase for teachers was approved for the 2012-2013 school year, when teachers received a step and a 1 percent cost of living adjustment.
"We still have a long way to go to get caught up, and we're still one of the lowest-paid school systems in the state," Burbey said. "The work isn't done, we just have a moment to rest and celebrate."