Teacher contract includes planning time and salary scale

The new RSU 21 teacher contract includes a specific article that provides planning time for teachers as well as a salary scale that keeps RSU 21 competitive with neighboring school districts, Communications Director Matthew Shinberg said.

Both points highlighted have been major topics of conversation since the summer, when teachers began speaking out about the lack of support they felt from the district.

The RSU 21 School Board of Trustees and the Kennebunk, Arundel and Kennebunkport Educators Association officially ratified the new three-year contract last week, ending several months of mediation.

Jen Swan, president of the educators’ association and a kindergarten teacher at Kennebunk Elementary School, confirmed that the new contract was ratified by a large majority vote of the association’s members.

Swan said the association, which represents more than 200 teachers, specialists and nurses from the district’s six schools, is relieved to end the mediation process.

“With this milestone behind us, we look forward to getting back to the work of teaching and focusing on our students without this distraction,” Swan said. “We recognize that there are other challenges within the district that still need to be addressed, and we look forward to resolving them collaboratively between our association, school administration and the school board.”

The school board’s vote to ratify the contract was not unanimous, with Gayle Spofford voting against the contract.

Although she did not provide a reason for her dissenting vote, Spofford said she could not “in good conscience” support ratification.

Matt Stratford, who took over as the school board’s lead negotiator in October, said the new contract reflects the school board’s deep commitment to supporting and retaining the “outstanding” teachers who make RSU 21 an exceptional place to learn and grow.

“We are thrilled to reach this agreement with our extraordinary educators,” Stratford said. “Their dedication and expertise are essential to the success of our students and the future of our community.”

Ratification last week was met with cheers from the public, which school board President Lesley Stoeffler echoed.

“We’re very happy to be able to get everything back to where it should be,” Stoeffler said.

The new contract takes effect immediately and expires on August 31, 2027.

Ad hoc committee

Also at last week’s meeting, the board heard an update on the newly formed ad hoc committee.

Made up of teachers and two board members, Claudia Sayre and Abigail Spadone, the committee was tasked with discussing ways to improve the work/life culture in the district.

Teachers and board members attended the first meeting, but Spadone said it became apparent “very quickly” that to have open communication with teachers, board members would have to be removed from the conversation.

“Wherever board members go, the public goes,” Spadone said. “It was not an environment conducive to openness among staff.”

At the second and third meetings, district staff and board members met separately with a facilitator to discuss concerns, and at the fourth and final meeting, the group came together to discuss this that everyone had proposed.

Spadone said the committee overcame many of the challenges discussed, but did not have time to discuss many solutions.

“By the end of the meeting, it was clear that people wanted to continue the group,” Spadone said.

In the future, the committee could meet quarterly to maintain open communication between staff and board members. Details have not yet been discussed.

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