EAST PROVIDENCE — The City Council gave its blessing for a new three-year contract between the East Providence School Department and the union of district teachers, the East Providence Education Association, doing so by a 5-0 vote at a special session on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 26.

The Council took the perfunctory measure of ratifying the contract as deemed in the City Charter, which gives the body final approval authority even though the negotiations are conducted solely between School Department administration and its bargaining unit. As well, the East Providence School Committee previously approved the agreement.

Reached before the October 26 meeting, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sandra Forand said, "The contract between the East Providence School Department and EPEA places a high value on making sure students have access to high quality teachers and additional instructional minutes starting in the 2024-2025 school year.

"The contract adds ten instructional minutes to the day which amounts to an additional five days of instructional time each year. It also focuses on reducing chronic absenteeism for both educators and students."

The new deal takes effect on November 1 of this year and concludes on October 31, 2026. According to District Finance Director Craig Enos, the estimated three-year fiscal impact is approximately $5.8 million.

Enos provided the following financials of the new contract:

• Teachers with the most tenure, Step 12, will see increases of 2.5%, 2.5% and 2.75% over the duration of the deal. A Step 12 teacher by the end of the contract will be making $94,000.
• For those at Steps 1-11 the raises are 1%, 1% and 1.5%. In addition, a Step 1 has $1,000 added to the base salary.
  As well the district has also added $500 each year for those with Master's, CAGS (Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study) and Doctorates - so a teacher with a Master's degree will receive $3,950 in addition to their base salary of $94,000; almost $98,000.
• The extra 10 minutes of instructional time each day beginning in September 2024 will equate to an additional 5 days of instructional time with a teacher.

"We place great value on fostering and maintaining a collaborative and supportive relationship with our dedicated teachers and staff. This collaboration is integral to achieving the overarching goals of our district, working together to achieve excellence in education for the students we serve," Forand continued.

The superintendent added, "In addition, with the teacher shortage across the country and recent retirements, the district was committed to making sure teacher salaries remain competitive with other districts around the state. Professional development time was also added that will be used to support teachers with high quality curriculum and instructional support.

"Overall it's a very good contract for the district and the EPEA and puts the focus on providing what students need and recognizing and supporting the work our educators do daily."

Some parts of the new deal highlighted by the EPEA include:

• Extended School Day — Starting in Year 2 (August/September 2024), will allow for students to receive an additional 50 minutes of instruction per week.
• Pay increases and advanced degree increases — In every year of the contract to ensure we are able to attract and retain teachers.
• Flexibility after-school meetings, parental engagement, faculty meetings, etc. — To allow for teacher input through SIT teams and leadership teams at each school.
• Over the life of the contract a decrease in class size at the secondary level to a hard cap of 28 in second year with Superintendent and Union President to review matter to try and lower further in the final year.
• Establishment of up to four after-school clubs at each elementary school to allow student engagement after-school hours.
• Establishment of a teacher safety committee which will make recommendations to administration regarding district-wide safety issues including the development of guidelines regarding student behavior and establishment of consistent protocols to enhance teacher safety.

EPEA President Nick Shattuck described the tone of the negotiations "good," while adding the sentiment of his members for the end result as being "satisfactory."

Shattuck continued, "With this new contract, the East Providence Education Association and the East Providence School District are ensuring that talented teachers will continue to inspire and shape the future of our community."