Provincetown's Town Manager Sharon Lynn worked cooperatively with Provincetown's School Committee to forge an agreement for all school employees to forego wage increases for Fiscal Year 2010. Town Manager Lynn has also now contacted the police and fire unions about wage freezes and is waiting for replies. Taxpayers stressed by the economy's collapse were protesting wage increases and school costs.

Provincetown school workers OK pay freeze
By Mary Ann Bragg
Cape Cod Times
mbragg@capecodonline.com
March 06, 2009 6:00 AM
PROVINCETOWN — All employees of the town's school district have agreed to forgo pay raises for the next fiscal year.

School committee member Peter Grosso announced the agreement yesterday to the town's finance committee.

Grosso, Town Manager Sharon Lynn, school union officials and others held talks over the weekend.

The agreement includes all union and nonunion employees including teachers, janitors, cafeteria workers, office administrators and secretaries.

Union members received a 3 percent raise for the current fiscal year, based on a three-year contract, said school Supt. Jessica Waugh. They will receive no raise for the next fiscal year. They will then receive a 3 percent raise in the following fiscal year, Waugh said.

The nonunion members will forego this year's 3 percent raise. Waugh's annual salary of $106,000 is frozen as well.

The wage increases would have amounted to about $79,000, Grosso said.

The Provincetown school district is the smallest K-12 public school district in the state. It has come under fire from townspeople in recent years because of high per-pupil costs and declining enrollment.

The school district employs about 85 people, with salaries ranging from $15,000 to $69,000 for full-time positions. Its annual budget for the next fiscal year is $3.6 million, which excludes any wage increases.

The finance committee voted yesterday to recommend the school district's budget to town meeting members in April.

Lynn said that she has now contacted the police and municipal union leaders to find out if they would agree to forego pay raises for the next fiscal year. She had not heard back officially from the unions yesterday.

As of now, police union members will receive a 5 percent raise for the next fiscal year, Lynn said. Municipal union members will receive a 4.5 percent raise.