WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. June 27, 2007: In return for a one year 3% hike in wages across all salary levels, White Plains teachers agreed to pay about $200 more as their share of health insurance in 2007-2008. According to Assistant Superintendent for Business Fred Seiler,  the 3% wage increase approved by the White Plains Board of Education Monday evening, would cost the school district $1.8 Million in the next budget year beginning July 1. The teachers, he said, agreed to pay more of their share of their health insurance provided by the district which would have the teachers paying $150,000 more a year.

Seiler reports that Health insurance for a single employee would increase from $450 to  $635 a year; for two person plans, from $800 to $1,075; and, for family coverage the portion teachers pay would rise from $900 to $1,220.

Seiler said the teacher increase covers salary only and goes across all step levels, but remuneration for additional degrees was not affected by the one year settlement. Seiler said it has not been discussed when the district would begin to negotiation next year’s contract with the teacher’s union. The new contract only covers July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008.

The Board of Education by a 3-2 margin, with Peter Bassano obstaining rejected the Civil Service Employees contract increase which, Seiler said called for a straight salary increase of 3% a year, beginning one month after the start of the year. Seiler said because of the one-month delay in the injection of the pay increase, the raise actually amounted to 2.73%.

Seiler when asked what happened said, WPCNR should talk to the Board of Education, but ventured the opinion that the Board objected that there was no change in anything related to health.

Asked if he was going to follow Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors into retirement in June 2009, Seiler, said “Oh no…no…I hope to be here for a long time. I love working in White Plains.  Great district. Great people. I don’t plan to go anywhere.”