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SEYMOUR – The town’s 181 public school teachers will see a 7.5 percent salary increase over the next three years, according to a contract approved last month.
Teachers will pay more toward health insurance over the life of the contract.
The Seymour Board of Education at its Dec. 9 meeting voted 7 – 0‑2 in favor of the contract. Board chairman Chris Champagne and board member Ed Strumello abstained from voting.
Per state law, the contract becomes binding after 30 days.
The contract was previously approved by the teachers’ union – the Seymour Education Association, or SEA – in November.
Contract negotiations kicked off last July and continued through August, according to board member Kristen Bruno, who serves as chairperson of the board’s contract liaison committee. She said a final agreement was reached without having to go to costly mediation or arbitration.
The new contract runs from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028.
The agreement calls for an across-the-board 2.5 percent raise for all three years of the contract, with teachers not at the top salary step advancing one step.
Over the course of the three-year contract, teachers will see their salaries increase 7.5 percent.
Teachers currently are paying a 14 percent cost-share toward their health insurance. In the first year of the new contract, teachers will see that increase to 14.5 percent. In the second year, that cost will increase to 15 percent and in the third year, that cost will increase to 15.5 percent.
The contract also calls for hourly rates and stipends to increase by 2.5 percent each year. And teachers who teach various programs that serve students with special needs (CARES, REACH, RISE and ABA programs) will receive an additional step while teaching in those positions.
Superintendent of Schools Susan Compton said the agreement was a fair deal to both sides.
“I feel that both our teachers’ union and the Board of Education’s liaison committee worked collaboratively to make sure that this contract was fair to both sides,” Compton said.
“A lot of hard work and dedication on both sides went into settling this contract. As the superintendent, my focus was to make sure that our teachers have the resources to focus on student achievement as the top priority. Seymour is blessed with outstanding staff members and administrators.”
Meagan Krushinski, president of the teachers’ union (Seymour Education Association) said the contract is fair and was glad to see it reached without the need to bring in a mediator.
“This agreement, reached without the need for mediation or arbitration, reflects a commitment to fairness for both parties and prioritizes the needs of our educators, students and community,” Krushinski told the Valley Indy via an email.
Board member Stephan Behuniak, a member of the board’s contract liaison committee, expressed similar sentiments.
“It was a great negotiation,” Behuniak said. “I think our residents can be confident that this is the best deal we could have made.”
The contract also includes some minor language changes, including:
*Requiring that special education class sizes and case management load must be equitable
*Guarantees a 30-minute lunch as required by state statute
