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The Ossining Board of Education and OTA reached the new four-year agreement to help hold the line on taxes, according to a news release from the district. The OTA voted to ratify the agreement on April 22 and the Board of Education approved the contract on May 14, according to the release.
Ossining teachers are set to receive a 1.6 percent increase for the 2013-14 school year but none from 2014 through the end of the contract. In addition to limiting salary increases, the contract calls for "increased health insurance contributions from teachers and reduced step increases," according to the release.
“Given the economic times, both sides came to the table in good faith and worked collaboratively for the good of the district,” said Ossining Teacher Association President Bob Rosenbaum in the release. “We recognized the needs of the community and the district’s need to maintain educational programs. What we did will allow for continuity in our educational program and lay the foundation for future collaboration.”
Ossining Superintendent Raymond Sanchez praised the teachers for "meeting with district representatives early and reaching an agreement before the current contract expired," according to the release.
“Both sides were committed to coming together to address the fiscal challenges facing the district while keeping the needs of the students front and center,” Sanchez said in the release.
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