Hamptons Bays Teachers Receive Three-Year Contract Extension

With a unanimous vote, the Hampton Bays School board voted Tuesday night to extend teacher’s contracts for three more years, replacing a contract that expired on June 30.

Superintendent Lars Clemensen said the new contract, which took six months to negotiate, is a win for both the district’s 164 teachers and the school district.

According to Clemensen, the contract provides for a 3.75 percent salary increase for teachers in the first and second year of the contract with a two percent increase plus a step pay raise in the third year.

A step raise, said Clemensen, is a pay raise that is calculated by the number of years a teacher is employed with the district.

In addition, the contract requires that teachers pay five percent more into their health benefit plan.

The contract, said Clemenson, not only preserves teacher’s jobs, but also programs.

“There was a give and take,” said Clemenson, “But we believe this contract is affordable and respects the hardship of the taxpayers."

The teacher’s union said like the school district, it is pleased with the outcome of the negotiations.

Andy Fotopoulos, head of the teachers’ union, said, “Our conversations and negotiations have been marked by great respect for the work of teachers and the plight of taxpayers, and we believe this agreement represents a fair settlement for all parties."

Clemensen said the district took the state's recently-adopted two-percent tax cap into consideration when negotiating the contract. In years past, he said, the district approved five-year contracts. However, not yet knowing the full effects of the cap, the district opted for a three-year contract instead.

Clemensen also pointed out that the district was careful in deciding on the raise amount it would provide to teachers. He explained that many other area districts increased teacher salaries by an average of five percent. However, Hampton Bays teachers' salaries will increase by an average of four percent.

Doug Oakland, board president, said, “We value our teachers and their critical contributions to our students, but are also mindful of our community’s ability to support salaries of a certain level. This agreement allows us to remain fiscally responsible to the community, while preserving the quality of teachers and programs that are so valuable to our district."