Teachers Reject Calls to Open Up Contract

The Township Committee does not yet have specific recommendations on how to cut the defeated 2010-11 school budget, but they will not have any teacher givebacks to work with as they review the spending plan.

"We cannot afford to take a reduction," said Kathy Bowers, the president of the Wyckoff Education Association (WEA) and an Eisenhower Middle School teacher.

The members of the Wyckoff Education Association made up approximately more than half the standing-room-only crowd Monday at a joint committee-school board hearing on the budget, where the overwhelming sentiment was against further cuts to the spending plan, which went down by 22 votes at the polls.

The Township Committee is charged with possibly identifying a figure by which the Board of Education should slash the budget, although the school board retains the right to locate specific line items for savings. Monday's meeting was an opportunity for the public to offer their opinions and ideas on a process that must be wrapped up on the governing body end by May 19.

While the governing body goes line by line over the plan, members have taken up school board calls to the teachers' union to consider opening up their employment contract to save the district money.

"The elephant in the room is whether teachers will accept a modest concession," said Committeeman Chris DePhillips, a member of the governing body's Finance Committee. "I think you owe it to the community to explain what your position is on that."

Bowers told the joint boards that any concessions would impact WEA staff's ability to pay their bills, with a reduction in salary potentially making the difference on home and car payments.

"For 22 votes, I can't put a hardship on the members," Bowers said.

"Most of the staff members travel 30 minutes or more to come to work because their paycheck doesn't afford them to live in this area. Some live paycheck to paycheck because they love teaching... Once every three years, the taxpayers of Wyckoff, via the elected representatives, make a commitment to compensate us for the work we do. Now, for reasons that have nothing to do with us, they wish not to follow through on their commitment," Bowers said.

The WEA is in the second year of a three-year employment contract that will raise salaries by 4.4 percent next year. The school board, prior to the election, had requested talks with union leadership about a possible wage freeze but the idea was never negotiated. Of late, the Township Committee has asked the teachers to accept a lesser raise next year (2.9 percent vs. 4.4 percent), which would save the district approximately $240,000. Alternately, the school board president has proposed a delay in the raise, with the full 4.4 percent hike coming in 2011 rather than the start of the school year.

Bowers made repeatedly clear the WEA cannot consider any such givebacks.

"The teachers are counting on the salary they've negotiated," she said, emphasizing that state aid cuts and Gov. Chris Christie's "attack on teachers" has "collectively placed a black cloud over our heads." Bowers also has felt that any such move would place the teachers at a disadvantage as they head toward contract negotiations next year.

Township Committee members said the call for concessions isn't the case of anyone targeting the teachers, but rather a request to share in the budgetary pain as school districts and municipalities struggle with Christie's aid cuts.

"I want to emphasize the point of shared sacrifice," Mayor Rudy Boonstra said.

Committeeman Brian Scanlan told the crowd that it's "terrible the way teachers have been vilified" this year, but they can't "blind yourself to the fact that there are people who have taken cuts or lost their jobs."

Committeemen Kevin Rooney and David Connolly have emphasized that township employees have shared in that budgetary pain. Wages have been frozen at Town Hall; committee members have eliminated their stipends; and recent contracts for the police and DPW workers provide less generous pay bumps than afforded the teachers.

"The municipal employees stepped up to the plate," Rooney said.

Bowers said the WEA is only looking to receive what's been promised them, pointing out that the members do not receive bonuses or extra benefits when the economy is flush, while also saying most teachers accept lower salaries than they otherwise could command due to their passion for the profession.

The staff present Monday night overwhelmingly supported the union's position, repeatedly showering supporters with applause and standing in solidarity at points. However, the membership has not been formally polled about whether a giveback on salary would be possible.

Rooney and former school board Vice President Ray Hovey requested a vote on the issue, with Hovey suggesting a "credible poll" would go a long way toward bolstering the union leadership's position.

Bowers said there is "no need" for such a vote. "We have a pulse on our teachers," she said.

Several public speakers supported the WEA's position.

"To maintain the quality of education, I think priority number one should be to protect teacher salaries," said John Nolan, a resident and teacher at Paramus High School.

Harold Olejarz, a teacher at Eisenhower, referred to the salary guide, where teachers are paid according to which "step" they've reached in their tenure: "When you pull out a couple of rungs on that ladder, people are going to fall."

Others told the crowd that the private sector does not enjoy the benefits and job security that teachers have.

Dorothy Fish, president of the Board of Health, said she "never had guaranteed anything" in her years as a nurse, while also telling the crowd that "there are people who can no longer afford to live in our community."

Bowers responded by saying teachers cannot afford to live in Wyckoff either under current salaries.

For more coverage on the budget hearing, click here.