Groveport Madison Schools and the Groveport Madison Local Education Association have approved a new contract five months prior to its expiration date.
The three-year agreement, which runs from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022, calls for a 2.75 percent pay increase in each of the next three years, with no change made to insurance or other benefits. Other items addressed during the negotiations included how to improve effectiveness and efficiency in the schools – with the goal of creating positive impacts and results for students.
Under the new wage scale, compensation for a new teacher begins at $40,467 per year. The new agreement also updates language defining the data that may be used when evaluating teachers and also eliminated a step in the employee grievance process.
“I believe the district and the teacher’s association both approached the contract renewal process with a positive attitude and the knowledge that we must forge an agreement that is both fair and budget-minded,” said Superintendent Garilee Ogden. “We identified the issues that were most important to each side and we worked through them in a respectful and productive manner. In addition to other contract changes, I believe the new agreement will help us to remain competitive in a very tight marketplace, giving us the ability to retain and attract high-quality teachers and other student-support professionals.”
GMLEA President Joy Bock added, “GMLEA appreciates the respectful and professional tone in which the new leadership approached negotiations. We look forward to teaming with the administration in a positive manner to continue to move the district forward – putting the needs of our students first.”
The association approved the tentative agreement with more than a 99 percent passage rate.
“I’m very pleased with the relationship we have with GMLEA, and how we are able to approach potential areas of conflict or uncertainty in a positive and respectful manner,” said Ogden. “Not everyone can say that.”
