Nyack, March 11 — Nyack’s School Board and teachers have agreed to a new contract ending a year-long negotiation with modest salary increases over the next three years.
The agreement calls for an increase of 1.5 percent during the 2010-11 school year followed by raises of 1.75 and 1.9 percent in the final two years of the agreement. The new agreement, retroactive to July 1 of last year, includes no increases for the current school year.
Donna Ramundo, Nyack Teachers’ Association President, says the new contract is a “fair deal” for students, taxpayers and teachers. “All parties have recognized their mutual responsibility to educate all students to their optimal potential and to exhibit fiscal restraint,” says Superintendent of Schools Dr. Valencia Douglas.
The new agreement also:
- Incorporates the schools’ nurses into the Teachers Collective Bargaining Agreement.
- Provides greater flexibility to the administration in scheduling secondary school science sections
- Reduces the number of approved absences for tenured staff from 40 to 30 days
- Reduces long term leave from two years to one.
- Allows second year, non-tenured teachers to opt out of the Mentor/Professional Partner Program.
Source: Nyack Schools, 3/11/2010
This all sounds good, but if you pull the curtain back a bit you will see that the highest paid teachers in the District all got cash bonuses last year (despite the so-called freeze). You will also see that the raises aren’t limited to the percentages described. There are other built in raises for teachers every year just for remaining employed another year.
30 days off for a 182 day school year seems like a pretty good deal for the teachers. And the District still cannot extend the school day or the school year without the teachers’ union’s permission. No additional contributions toward employee health care or retirement. No ability to outsource any teaching functions.
Still, given the reality of our times, the negotiators for the District probably did the best they could. They were likely not given a mandate to try to make real change.