Teachers' Raise, Operating Budget Bump to Be Deliberated Tuesday

Bedford residents have the opportunity to review and possibly amend the school board's proposed operating budget and decide whether or not to support a raise to the district's teachers when  the community convenes Tuesday to consider 10 warrant articles at the Bedford School District's annual Deliberative Session.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Bedford High Theater.

Three articles are expected to garner more interest than the rest, beginning with a negotiated salary increase for Bedford School District teachers.

Voters will be asked to approve a two-year collective bargaining agreement between the Bedford School District and Bedford Education Association for the 2013-'14 and 2014-'15 school years, which includes salaries, fringe benefits and other cost items at current staffing levels, that represents increases of $729,048 and $860,857.

Teachers, however, have agreed to absorb a larger percentage of their insurance costs to help offset the spike in pay, according to the Union Leader.

Article VIII presents the district's proposed operating budget of $61,859,142, which represents a $621,750 increase from last year's projected operating cost.

Should the article be defeated at the March 13 elections, the operating budget will revert to the default budget of $61,237,392.

The only petitioned special article on this year's warrant asks the school board to:

... develop a clear, numeric target for the school district involving annual goals of a combined total of at least 600 examination passes from the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Higher Level boards ...

Residents also have the opportunity to discuss and amend articles that provide raises to custodial, kitchen and other staff and faculty at Bedford schools.

The school board, in another article, is recommending it be allowed to accept gifts, legacies and devises of real or personal property, which may become available to the district during the fiscal year, without any further action of voters.

Click the attached PDF above to review the full warrant, and check back with Bedford Patch at Wednesday for a recap on Tuesday night's deliberative session.