Middletown officials review tentative three-year teacher contract; council asks for compounded cost and comparatives

The Common Council of the City of Middletown on Feb. 3 convened a questions-to-directors workshop where the Board of Education’s superintendent (identified in the record as Dr. V) and Anne Littlefield, a partner at Shipman & Goodwin, presented a tentative three-year contract reached with the Middletown Federation of Teachers (MFT).

Anne Littlefield said negotiations began in September 2024, moved through mediation Nov. 22–23 and produced a tentative agreement the BOE has unanimously supported. She described a restructured salary schedule and year-by-year projected percentage impacts: a 4.85% cost impact in the first year (including step movement and general wage increases ranging from about 1.15% to about 5.41%), 4.19% in year two and 4.46% in year three. Those year-by-year figures total about 13.5% over three years when reported on the common non‑compounded basis Littlefield said is used for comparability with other towns.

"Our other goal was to retain our talented teachers," Littlefield said, describing the salary restructuring and step movement designed to raise minimum salaries and recruit starting teachers.

Littlefield and Dr. V said the exact dollar impact will vary with the district teacher census (the count of teachers on each step as of Sept. 2024), so total costs could change if retirees or new hires alter that census. Littlefield agreed to provide the council with compounding scenarios (the compounded percentage across three years), the underlying teacher census used for projections, and the list of comparator communities used for salary analysis.

Key contract elements presented

- Step schedule: the district will move to a 10-step schedule as presented (replacement of the prior entry-step structure), eliminating old steps 1 and 2 to raise entry-level pay. - Entry-level pay: the presented salary schedule shows an entry-level BA salary increasing from about $47,001.66 to about $50,003.51 for incoming hires on the BA track. - Year-one increases: the first year combines step movement for eligible teachers and a general wage increase (ranging roughly 1.15%–5.41% across steps) for a reported first-year impact of 4.85%. - Years two and three: projected total impacts of about 4.19% and 4.46%, respectively, yielding a 13.5% three-year total on the conventionally reported, non-compounded basis. - Stipends: listed stipends receive a one-time 3% increase in year one and remain flat in years two and three according to the presentation; the contract sets stipend amounts but does not prohibit the board from choosing which stipends to fund each year. - Health premium cost-sharing: the presented change increases premium cost-sharing modestly (from about 21.5% to about 22.5% for those on the state partnership plan), with no negotiated plan design changes because the state controls the plan design. - MFT president release time: the conceptual agreement calls for a 0.5 FTE release for the MFT president with the federation funding half that salary back to the board; a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to govern schedule and payment details has not yet been completed.

Council questions and follow-ups

Council members repeatedly asked for more precise fiscal detail. Councilman Alfredo pressed the presenters for the compounded three‑year cost (Littlefield said she would provide it), and others requested the teacher-census spreadsheet that shows how many teachers occupy each step so the council can model costs under different hiring/retirement scenarios. Several council members also asked for the comparator communities used in negotiations and for a comparative analysis that includes health plan cost-sharing and total compensation comparisons.

On implementation and staffing issues, Littlefield and Dr. V described language changes intended to aid recruitment in shortage areas (allowing the superintendent discretion to hire someone on a full contract rather than a short-term remainder-of-year contract) and changes to transfer language intended to promote stability (a three‑year minimum at a district site before requesting a transfer).

What remains and next steps

Littlefield and BOE staff said they would provide the requested follow-up materials — compounded cost scenarios, the teacher-census distribution, the comparator community list and substitute-rate projections — in advance of the Feb. 10 council meeting. The MOU implementing the release-time arrangement was described as a short-term drafting priority, with the presenters expecting completion before the new contract goes into effect on July 1.

No formal Common Council vote on the contract was recorded at the workshop; the BOE presentation described a tentative agreement and BOE support rather than final city action.

Quote highlights

"These are estimates and projections based on a census in September and they're not going to be the actual cost," Anne Littlefield said, noting retirements or new hires will change the final budget impact.

The presentation concluded with the presenters agreeing to supply the additional fiscal detail councilmembers requested.

Ending

The workshop closed after follow-up requests were recorded; councilmembers will review the additional materials before the Feb. 10 meeting and the BOE intends to finalize the MOU prior to July 1 if practicable.