A tentative agreement was recently reached between the Warwick Teachers’ Union and the school district.  The agreement comes after more than five hours of private mediation. 

According to attorney Vincent Ragosta Jr. who acted as mediator between the two parties, “The parties are working on the language but conceptually, all of the points, all of the issues have been resolved”.   He further explained an agreement had been reached regarding financial and educational issues, but did not go into details about the agreement.   The points of dispute prior to mediation related to salary increases, class sizes, and the number of sick days teachers receive. 

Teachers had been working without a contract since August of 2015.  Schools in the area were forced to cancel classes because so many teachers were absent.  As a result of teachers calling into work, a judge finally issued an order to bar union members from participating in the “sick out” and other work stoppages, citing the fact that children are not the priority when this is happening.  Two protests had also been held and organized by parents in the district, and attracted about 100 participants. 

The agreement negotiated during mediation will now be submitted to the union for ratification and then to the school committee. 

According to the Rhode Island Education Commissioner, “We are pleased that the Warwick School Committee and Warwick Teachers Union have come together for the good of their students and the community at large, reaching a tentative agreement that we hope will bring to an end what has been a difficult chapter for Warwick schools.  We are eager to see the agreement finalized as quickly as possible so that all parties can continue to do what they do best – prepare Warwick students for their futures”.