The Harwood Unified Union School District Board and Harwood Unified Education Association have reached an agreement on a new three-year teachers’ contract that will run from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027. The newly-ratified contract provides for an average salary increase of 6.5% each year.
That new contract, for the coming year, means a $16,285,920 educator bottom line. That number excludes benefits. That 6.5% increase is higher than the 5.7% increase that was projected in the budget that voters approved in May for the coming year.
“The new contract includes a new salary index, which was really important to emphasizing increasing the starting salary. The new index made it possible to increase the base salary at a faster rate, while keeping top salaries competitive but with a lower rate of increase. Over the three-year contract, the base salary increases from $40,792 (in 23-24) to $43,843 (in 24-25), $46,420 (in 25-26), and $49,200 (in 26-27). For comparison in the 23-24 school year, Harwood is lagging behind neighboring districts: Washington Central (U32) starts at $50,225, Barre starts $43,250, and Montpelier starts at $43,130,” explained Jessica Dean, Harwood Unified Education Association negotiations co-chair Jessica Deane.
The contract was approved by the general membership of the education association on July 22, 2024, and the school board on July 23, 2024. A tentative agreement was reached on July 9, 2024, after both parties engaged in mediation earlier this summer.
Per a joint press release from the school board and teachers’ association, the school board and association placed an emphasis on increasing starting teacher salaries which were $40,793 in 2023-2024, below the average starting salary for new teachers in the region.
“Our schools provide an outstanding education for our students due in large part to the quality of our teachers. While the school board understands the fiscal realities we face, we also realize that it has become challenging to hire new teachers with the current teacher shortage in Vermont and the low starting salary currently offered by our school district,” said board negotiations chair JB Weir, Waitsfield.
“The Harwood Union Education Association’s teacher bargaining team appreciated the collaborative and mutually respectful approach both sides took to the work of agreeing on a new contract. Throughout the process, there was a strong emphasis on increasing the base teacher salary, which has fallen compared to surrounding districts over the last several years. This contract improves the HUUSD’s ability to attract and retain the high-quality educators that our students all deserve,” said Deane and her co-chair Tom Young.
HUUSD Board chair Ashley Woods, Warren, pointed out that the district’s starting salary for professional teachers at Harwood is not a livable wage based on the cost of living in the district.
“We believe that this agreement represents a fair settlement for the school district, the association, and our community as it will help our schools attract and retain teachers that we are currently losing to many of our central Vermont and Chittenden county neighbors,” Woods said.
The current, three-year teacher contract expired June 30, 2024.
