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West Bath board approves new three‑year contracts for teachers and educational technicians
Summary
The West Bath School Board on June 18 approved two three‑year contracts that raise base pay and update parental‑leave and benefits language; the motions passed unanimously after a closed‑door negotiation session.
The West Bath School Board voted June 18 to approve two negotiated three‑year contracts covering teachers and educational technicians, board members said.
Board members moved after reconvening from an executive session to approve both agreements as presented. The contracts run from Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2027.
The contracts include a number of negotiated changes, officials said: updated, gender‑neutral language; revisions to parental‑leave provisions to align with the forthcoming Maine paid‑leave law; a cash‑in‑lieu‑of‑benefits clause under which the district would share some savings with employees who choose outside coverage; and clearer language on excessive absenteeism in the educational‑technician contract. According to the contract summary presented at the meeting, the teacher salary base will increase (transcript figure: 8,108) and the edtech base will increase by 655 over three years.
"We have two contracts before us ... we got there in the end," the board member who introduced the items said as the board moved to adopt the agreements. (The transcript identifies the motion and the subsequent unanimous approval; individual vote names were not read into the public record.)
The board held an executive session earlier in the meeting specifically to discuss contract negotiations under the statutory authority cited in the motion. After returning to open session, the board took the formal vote to adopt both contracts.
The contracts also add cash‑in‑lieu language intended to share savings when employees opt out of district benefits and enroll elsewhere, and include revised parental leave language to prepare for state law changes expected to take effect in January. The board did not discuss further implementation details or a schedule for posting the full contract texts in public materials during the meeting.
The board approved the contracts as presented; no amendments or roll call votes with individual member names were recorded in the public transcript.
