School Board, Teachers End Contract Fight

After several weeks of negotiation, local teachers and the Cambridge School Committee reached a tentative agreement on a proposed two-year contract last week.

Over seven hundred members of the Cambridge Teachers Association (CTA) are expected to ratify the proposed agreement, which includes substantial salary increases, at a union meeting slated for Dec. 13.

The school committee is expected to vote on the contract shortly thereafter.

No Problem

"I am in support of the proposed contract," Union President Susan Noonan-Forster said yesterday, adding, "I have no problem recommending it to the membership and expect it will be ratified by the members."

Work to Rule

The agreement marked the end of a "work to rule" job action that Cambridge teachers and administrators have been carrying out since Nov. 13. Because of the action, the teachers entered school 15 minutes before classes began and left 10 minutes after students were dismissed--exactly as their old contract, which expired on August 31, specified.

According to the latest proposal, Cambridge teachers will receive a 3 percent wage increase retroactive to Sept. 1, 1984, an additional 2 percent as of Jan. 1, 1985, and a final 5 percent salary increase effective Sept 1, 1985, said Albert H. Giroux, official spokesman for the Cambridge School Department.

Shortfall

The wage increases are "going to cause a shortfall of almost a quarter million dollars," said Giroux. "Between now and June 31, 1985, we are going to have to make some severe cutbacks in the school department," Giroux added.

Members of the school committee and Forster refused further comment on possible revenue sources, programs to be cutback, or other aspects of the proposal.