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Selectmen opt not to act; SEA teacher contract will become effective after 30 days
Summary
Staff negotiator Neil Sullivan summarized the 3‑year Simsbury Education Association contract settled in mediation and ratified by the union and the Board of Education. The Board of Selectmen opted to take no action, allowing the contract to become effective automatically after 30 days rather than approving or sending it to arbitration.
Neil Sullivan, who led negotiations on the district’s behalf, briefed the Board of Selectmen Dec. 15 on a teacher contract that was settled in mediation, ratified by the union membership and approved by the Board of Education. Sullivan said the settlement totaled roughly 13.03% over three years and included adjustments to step advancement rules and increased teacher premium cost‑sharing in certain plans.
Under Connecticut statute and local procedure, the final step for a teachers’ contract is presentation to the legislative authority; the selectmen may approve, reject (which would send the district to binding arbitration) or take no action. Several selectmen said they had no policy reason to block the contract and did not want to force arbitration. The board agreed to take no action, meaning the contract will go into effect 30 days from the date it was filed with the selectmen.
Selectmen clarified they were not endorsing the contract’s bargaining terms (which are the Board of Education’s responsibility) but were exercising the limited role the charter/statute assigns to the legislative body. Staff noted timing and statutory deadlines related to binding arbitration and explained that taking no action is a procedural option that allows the negotiated settlement to proceed without selectmen involvement.
The board did not record a roll‑call vote on the matter; members indicated consensus to take no action and to revisit the matter if circumstances require further board review.
