The Lisbon Education Association announced its initial proposal for contract negotiations with the Lisbon School District Wednesday, March 9.
The association is asking for a 7.5 percent base salary increase for all union employees. The association is also looking to maintain the labor-management committee between the union and the school district to discuss matters not referred to in the master contract. The proposed contract with the district would be for five years
The number one concern this year for all staff surveyed was definitely salary, and that has only been made worse by escalated inflation and cost of living expenses.
In an opening statement, Julie Hill for the Lisbon Education Association, noted that teachers are continuing to have to navigate an unpredictable world, and that financial burdens are exceeding the high health concerns in the pandemic.
“Many on staff are supplementing Lisbon School salaries with another job,” Hill said. “In order to be successful as educators, we’ve continued elevated expectations before, during and after the school day. For example, cleaning duties are still a heightened priority, covering during prep periods to offset sub shortage and preparing lesson plans in advance to ensure that our students are learning despite staff and student absences. Although we are two years into this pandemic, we continue to tackle the learning gap and challenges of the lost learning time.”
The Lisbon School Board has accepted the initial offer, but took no action on the offer. The board went into closed session following the meeting.