Officials: Contracts Would Save Brewster Schools $1M over 3 Years

There seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel for Brewster Central Schools.

The district was anticipating big program and staffing cuts for next year, but an increase in state aid and contract agreements with the administrators and teachers have changed that.

Board of education members are expected to adopt the $85,999,723 budget, which means a 2.29-percent budget-to-budget increase and a 1.94-percent tax levy increase, Tuesday night.

: $85,713,070 in total, with a 2.5-percent tax levy increase and a hike of 1.9 percent from last year's $84,074,419. The change means implementing full-day kindergarten, a restored Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program and more (see videos above).

Here are some of the "key elements" of the proposed Brewster Teachers Association contract, as provided by school officials:

• In the 2013-2014 year all salaries and step increases are frozen.
• Beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, step increases will be lengthened from 15 to 20 years, thereby further slowing salary increases.
• In 2014-2015, only those teachers who are on step 20 will receive a 1.3-percent raise and all teachers will receive a 0.9-percent raise in 2015-2016, the third and last year of the contract and an additional $300 salary adjustment. Contributions to health benefits will be increased from 12 to 14 percent in year three.

"District office administrators agreed in December to pay a freeze in the 2013-2014 year and the Administrators Association of Brewster agreed to a pay-freeze for virtually all its members," officials said in a statement. "These concessions provided $60,000 in savings to the district in the 2013-2014 year.