Schools

Gellar Publicly Addresses WITA Discussions, Dixon Responds

BOE, teacher's union leadership each offer their sides on recent negotiations.

Before any proposals or discussions were made during the district's fourth budget worksession Thursday night at West Islip High School, Board of Education President Steve Gellar made a statement regarding ongoing talks with the leadership of the West Islip Teachers Association.

In his opening statement, Gellar said that the BOE leadership (himself and Vice President Annmarie LaRosa) proposed a salary freeze to WITA leadership (President Joe Dixon and Vice President Lenny Lapinta) that would restore 15 teaching positions and lessen class sizes to current levels. He followed by stating that the union leadership rejected this idea. 

"Union leadership countered by proposing a teacher give-back in the form of compensation deferral, which would be paid back to the teacher upon separation from employment or retirement from the district," Gellar said. "The future payment would be made at the current rate of pay.  Essentially this offer can be viewed as a no interest loan.  Although this arrangement was not considered optimal by the board because it was not truly a give-back and did little to help our future financial burden, the board ultimately countered by asking for a lesser deferral that would have allowed us to put eight teachers back to work and lower the tax rate for 2011-2012.

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"Again, this was not really what the board was looking to achieve, but the lesser amount would have minimized the future burden... and the community would have benefited in the short run.  Ultimately, union leadership pulled this offer off the table, indicating that we were not saving enough jobs for them to even consider putting it before their membership.  Had we decided to reinstate all teachers under the proposal, the tax rate would not have changed."

Gellar said in the board's last proposal to the WITA, they again asked for a salary freeze, said they'd restore all 20 teaching positions lost due to budget cuts, and give the teachers a one percent earned income (which was deferred year one of the current contract).  Gellar said the proposal also included a "multi-year separation incentive good for any eligible teacher who retired from the district in the next three years."

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"Union leadership rejected this request as well and did not present it to their membership for consideration," he said.  "To say we are disappointed would be an understatement.  But it’s time for us to move on and make the hard decisions required for the best of this community. "

During the portion of the budget hearing when public comment is permitted, Dixon addressed the board and said he felt the phone call between him and Gellar this past Tuesday did not offer an adequate amount of time to make such an important decision. 

"These negotiations went back and fourth and they ceased on Tuesday evening at approximately 7 o'clock [p.m.]," Dixon said.  "Mr. Gellar felt at that point and time that he had to move on.  Now we were going back and forth and I think we were starting to head in a direction that was positive but I think because of time restraints, Mr. Gellar felt that he had to come up with something by this evening’s meeting.  Well anyone who negotiates a contract should know that it doesn’t take 15-18 days, sometimes it takes six months.  What we were looking for, Mr. Lapinta and I, and I’m sure Mr. Gellar and Ms. LaRosa were looking for the same thing, a multi-year plan. We don’t have a one year problem, we have a multi-year problem.  With a multi-year problem, you need a multi-year plan. We feel obligated because we have a vested interest in this district.

He added: "When you jump into something like this, haphazardly, over a few days, mistakes are made.  It’s a quick fix patch.  Mr. Lapinta and I are not looking for a quick fix patch."

Dixon said that the WITA has an open door policy and that he would keep working with the board.  He also said that if they came back with an alternative proposal that included the restoration of all teaching positions affected by the budget, he would be bring it to the attention of the membership. 

When approached by a Patch reporter following Thursday night's budget hearing, Dixon declined to further comment publicly.


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