TAAAC News

Fiscal Year 2019 Settlement Summary


Aug 08, 2018

On April 19, 2018, TAAAC and the Board reached a Tentative Agreement for Fiscal Year 2019. On May 1, 2018, the County Executive cut the Board’s compensation request by $6.1 million. The County Council could not restore the 6.1 million and the parties were forced into renegotiations in accordance with Maryland law*. Below, you will find a bulleted summary highlighting the modified Agreement. Unless otherwise noted, all items are effective on July 1, 2018. Straw balloting will begin in the schools and worksites on August 23rd, and the ratification vote will take place during the September 12th Association Representative Council.

Salaries and Wages
  • 2.1941% across-the-board increase (or “COLA”), effective retroactively to July 1, 2018,
  • One step increase for every eligible Unit 1 employee effective on January 2, 2019, for 12-month employees and February 13, 2019, for 10-month employees.
  • Increase in extra instructional hourly wage from $25 to $30 per hour, with commensurate increase in curriculum writing and professional development summer pay, effective on July 1 2019.
Work Time and Work Load:
  • The position of Athletic Director is reclassified to a 210-day position, salary rates and benefits commensurately adjusted.
  • The position of Middle School Counselor is reclassified to 12-months with salary and benefits commensurately adjusted, effective on the Counselors’ first duty day of August 2018.
Other Leaves:
  • Bereavement Leave is modified to change 5 consecutive calendar days to 4 duty days with greater flexibility for the employee to schedule.
  • Provisions for administering the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 were modified to:
    • Require all employees to meet the eligibility requirements prescribed in the Act.
    • Provide a “rebuttable presumption” that all fulltime (1.0 FTE) instructional employees work sufficient hours in one duty year to be eligible.
    • Redefine the functional “12-month period” from “July 1 to June 30,” to a “12-month looking forward” from last use of FMLA Leave
    • Limit the amount of paid leave that may be used (50 days) before the counting down of the 60 days of FMLA entitlement.
    • Provide Job Protecting Alternative Leave (JPAL) so employees who are ineligible for leave under the FMLA statute retain FMLA-like job protection for FMLA qualifying events.
    • Changes in FMLA/JPAL administration are effective on January 1, 2019.
Rating and Observations
  • Selected Central Office Teacher Specialists will be allowed in the observation and rating process of Unit 1 school-based educators in the EEE, AVID, and Signature programs.
Miscellaneous:

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by both parties creating the summertime four-day work week once again.
A joint work group was created to discuss the potential benefit in finding an alternative to the biweekly pay frequency.

Defense Matters

Success in negotiations is not always measured by the benefits secured, but also by take-backs averted. For fiscal year 2019, averted were:

Experience Credit:
  • Elimination of the provisions for an “automatic” annual step increase.
Procedures for Suspension of a Unit 1 Member:
  • Prompt cessation of salary and benefits based on the Superintendent’s recommendation for suspension or dismissal.
Observations and Ratings
  • All Department Chairpersons will observe.
Work Time and Work Load:
  • Up to four evening activities.

(*) Annotated Code of Maryland, Education Article, Section 408.1

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