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Garrison School District's Union Negotiations in Mediation
Budget Advisory Committee warns of lower revenue and increasing mandated costs
by Margaret Sternberg
 | | Union employees express their views silently at the Garrison School Board meeting |
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The increasing frustration between the Garrison Board of Education and its unions became more evident as the Board read a prepared statement from the district's attorney to an audience made up of about 20 union members, two with protest signs, as well as the several regular attendees of the meetings.
Early in the February 27, 2008 Board meeting, in a modulated but sometimes emphatic tone, President Anita Prentice read a carefully worded, generic statement detailing some of the negotiating process and the resulting need for mediation. Several meetings, the statement read, have already taken place with the mediator, with others scheduled. The statement said, in part, "The District is committed to resolving the negotiations in a manner which is fair and equitable to both the employees and the taxpayers of the community. The intent of this release is to inform the District's employees and taxpayers of the status of negotiations in an attempt to avoid misunderstandings."
The release also had noted that although the contract expired on June 30, 2007, "all terms and conditions of employment have been continued since that time. The District is currently paying a salary increase to a number of employees for the 2007-8 school year." The statement explained that the employees are entitled to move up the salary schedule annually by one step, an increase called an "increment" and, as explained later, not directly affected by the contract. The statement went on to say that "While other employees might not have seen an increase in their salary from last year, no employee has received a cut in pay during this school year. Employees are still receiving all of the other benefits in their expired contracts, including health insurance, longevity payments and other stipends."
Peter Disch, President of the Garrison Teachers' Association, later said that no one should think that the District "has done anything beyond what is mandated by…law. It's what they have to do according to the Taylor Law - no more, no less"
Disch also noted that the maintenance and clerical workers, secretaries and the teachers' aides of Garrison "don't have a salary scale, like every other district in Putnam County, otherwise they would have gotten a step increase" too. (Disch later amended himself to say he was uncertain whether Haldane had step increases for clerical workers, but that all other districts in Putnam County did.)
Like Garrison, in hoping for an end to the standoff, Disch said, "Hopefully, we can receive a fair and equitable contract as soon as possible."
Garrison School provided to the PCN&R a statistical breakdown of faculty and staff in rebuttal to an accusation that the District wanted teachers to take a pay cut. There are a total of 14 clerical workers, 12 (86 percent) are currently being paid at 2006-7 levels. There are also two new hires (14 percent) not due for raises.
There are 33 members of the Garrison Teachers' Association, of those 23 have received their step raises, one is a new hire, and nine are at the top step level and receive "longevity raises" every three years. Of those nine, three received their additional longevity payment because they were determined by prior contracts; six are due for their longevity payment, but are currently being paid at the 2006-7 rate. The District says that 26 (79 percent) have received step increases, six (18 percent) are being paid at the 2006-7 rate and one (3 percent,) as a new hire, is not due.
For the contract that just expired, running from July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2007, the raises were 3.75 percent, 3.25 percent and 3 percent respectively.
Two audience members, Cynthia Kelly and Ed Mrozik, spoke of their appreciation for the teachers, the work they do and their hopes the issue would be resolved shortly and amicably. Both received applause for their comments. Mr. Mrozik, who thanked the teachers for work with his son and who compared the enormous sums paid to athletes versus those to teachers, is married to a teachers' aide in the school. A third resident, Stacy Labriola, later said that she "wanted it on public record" that she thought "they [the teachers] are doing a very good job."
Topics directly related to the district's finances didn't end with discussion of the contract stalemate as Trustee Carol McCullough recapped a meeting of the Budget Advisory Committee. McCullough said the expectation is that medical insurance, a mandated cost, will rise 8 percent, and that the teacher retirement system, also mandated by law, will rise approximately 8.75 percent. McCullough said the projected increase in employee benefits is expected to be $79,000 year over year. However, Superintendent Gloria Colucci noted that the amount spent for retirement benefits could change as the amounts contributed are directly tied to teachers' salaries. Workers' compensation costs, McCullough noted, are expected to fall slightly.
Other areas that have been reviewed, including transportation, plant operations, and debt service remain relatively flat. General support is currently increased $24,000 (1.82 percent,) but the figure does not take into account the ongoing contract negotiations. BOCES expenditures are expected to increase by about $100,000 due to an incoming special education student.
McCullough also noted that, on the revenue side, interest rates have been dropping and are expected to continue to drop, resulting in lower revenue for the district.
The Board is also in the process of buying signs for the school: a sign, in honor of the upcoming 100th anniversary of the school, to identify the school; one to replace the current announcement sign on Route 9D; one to identify and welcome other school's to the school's ball field; one for the Nelson Lane entrance, and a plaque on one of the pillars near the front door.
The Board announced that the final Non-Resident Tuition at O'Neill for 2006-7 was $7,750 and that $8,500 had been budgeted for each of the 41 students who attended.
The next meeting of the Garrison Board of Education will be Wednesday, March 12, at 7:30pm.
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