Detailed Analysis of Brighton's Teacher Contract

The following is a detailed analysis of the current Brighton Area Schools union contract that covers teachers as well as a few other employee groups. The district employs about 400 teachers and enrolls 6,500 students. Of its $52 million operating budget, about 70 percent goes toward paying employees working under this contract.

Salary Schedule

• Base salaries are determined strictly by “steps,” which use a matrix of years experience and graduate credit hours and degrees.
• There are several “steps” on the schedule, resulting in most teachers getting automatic 4 to 5 percent pay raises for their first 9 or 10 years in the district.
• The final step (11th or 12th, depending on a teacher’s college degree) on the salary schedule nets teachers an automatic 13 percent pay bump.
• In addition to step increases, the entire salary schedule increases by 1.125 percent each year.
• 60 percent of teachers have graduate degrees and 78 percent have more than 5 years experience, meaning the vast majority of teachers’ base salary is between $56,352 and $78,130.
• The Michigan Department of Education reported the average teacher salary in Brighton in 2008-09 was $66,514.
• Teachers also get two separate longevity payments:
  • “Longevity A:”
    • After 16 years, an annual stipend ranging from $377 to $1,657
  • “Longevity B:”
    • 13-15 years: $250
    • 16-20 years: $750
    • 21-25 years: $1,250
    • 26+ years: $1,750

Fringe Benefits

• The district’s current health insurance plan for teachers cost $15,415 per teacher.
• Teachers contribute $450 annually to the cost of this premium, or about 3 percent.
• The average family premium for a health plan in Michigan cost $13,160 in 2009, with employees contributing 22 percent ($2,500) of those costs.
• This plan most teachers choose includes no annual deductibles or co-pays and a $10/$20 RX plan.
• Each teacher who does not enroll in a medical insurance plan gets $268.91 per month.
• The district also provides at no cost to teachers dental, vision, life ($50,000) and long-term disability insurance.

Pension and Retirement Benefits

• Every teacher participates in the state-run Michigan Public School Employee Retirement System, a defined-benefit lifetime pension system
• Pension calculation: highest 3-year average compensation X 1.5 percent X years of service
• After 55, subsidized medical, dental and vision insurance for life (employees never contribute more than 18 percent of premiums)
• Annual pension based on 30 years experience in Brighton with base salary of $78,130 (final M.A. step): $35,159 (for many retirees, this amount increases by 3 percent every year)

Bonus Pay for Additional Duties or Certification

• School Improvement Coordinator: $2,000
• Coordinators: $1,518-$3,343
• Target Goal Facilitators (3 per building): $1,250
• MME Test Supervisor: $3,173
• MME Back-up Test Supervisor: $1,569
• MME Accommodations Coordinator: $2,597
• Academic Co-Curriculars: $2,122
• Secondary teacher instructing 6 classes instead of 5: 1/5 of salary ($13,303, based on average salary)
• Teaching Saturday school: $12 per hour
• Subbing for a regular class: $45 per hour
• Teaching during prep hour: $45 per hour
• “Imbalanced” class of more than two students at secondary level: $300 per student per semester
• Teaching a class larger than maximum allowable size:
  • Elementary: $3,000 per student
  • Each specialist teacher: $200 per student
  • Secondary: $1,500 per class per student
  • Secondary: $750
• Traveling within district from building to building pays IRS mileage rate
• Tuition reimbursement:
  • $400 per year per member
• District pays for lodging, meals and travel expenses for professional conferences.

Work Schedule/Environment

• Contractual year: 184.5 days
• Work day: 7 hours, 30 minutes
• Total work year: 1,384 hours

o   Teacher hours: 1,101

o   Instructional hours: 1,060

• National average for all occupations: 1,768 hours
• Student contact and instructional time:

o   Secondary: 5 hours, 30 minutes

o   Elementary: 5 hours, 27 minutes

• Elementary teachers receive two full days of release time due to a loss of 5 minutes of planning and conference time at the beginning of the day.

• Staff meetings:
  • No more than two per month
  • Middle school meetings: One may be 30 minutes pass the contractual day and the other 15 minutes. Teachers get compensatory time for the 15 minute meeting.
• Curriculum meetings: Maximum of one per month and must end by 3:30 p.m.
• Planning and conference time:
  • Secondary teachers: 60 minutes per day
  • Elementary teachers: 90 minutes per day
• Duty free lunch period: 30 minutes
• Time travel between buildings: 5 minutes.
• Maximum class size: 20-31 students, depending on grade and class type
• Teachers will not be assigned to cafeteria or playground duty.
• Classroom temperatures will be kept at 68 degrees (but may be changed anywhere from 61 to 75 degrees).

Leave Time/Sick Days

• Leave days: 12 days
  • Used for personal or family illness and personal business
  • Maximum accumulation: 120 days
• Bereavement: 5 days
• Sabbatical: 1 year, maximum of one-half salary with full benefits
• Union gets 20 days to use for leave time to conduct union business.
• Unpaid leave:
  • Personal illness: 1 year (with benefits)
  • Maternity/child care: 119 work days
  • Adoption: 4 semesters
  • Exchange teacher: 1 year
  • Continuing education: 1 year
  • General: 1 year
  • Military leave

Extra Curricular Activities Compensation

These amounts increase by 2.25 percent each year