CTA storms school board meeting to protest contract

The closed-door contract negotiations between the Canton Teachers Association and the School Committee spilled out into the public arena last Thursday, June 16, when an estimated 200 teachers packed the CHS Distance Learning Lab to protest the committee’s most recent contract offer while calling for an end to mediation and a return to face-to-face negotiations.

Five CTA members, including union president Pat Phalan, gave speeches during the public comments period of the meeting, and all were unhappy with the committee for proposing a contract that they claim does not respect teachers and could potentially force many of them to leave the school system.

In unison, each CTA member in attendance held up a placard identifying their name, education level, teaching experience, and the number of years they have taught in the Canton school system.

When the committee entered the room to start the meeting, the teachers stood in silence holding their placards. Then, after each CTA member spoke, the teachers responded with loud applause.

The protest and subsequent speeches, however, did not please committee member Reuki Schutt, who called the teachers’ actions a “direct attack” on the School Committee and on each member individually.

“I am personally offended, and I think this is not a professional way of doing this,” said a teary-eyed Schutt.

At the conclusion of the three-and-a-half-hour meeting, School Committee Chairman John Bonnanzio told the Citizen that the CTA’s request to return to the bargaining table was an “olive branch” and he was glad to hear it. However, he said the final decision is up to the full committee, which will vote in executive session at its next meeting on Thursday, July 28.

Then again, Bonnanzio also made the point that a mediator is an extension of negotiations and is a way to at least keep the dialogue going.

The teachers’ unhappiness with the committee can be summed up in two main points. For one, the teachers are adamantly opposed to a restructuring of the salary scale that would double the number of years (from 12 to 24) that a teacher would have to complete in order to reach the top of the pay scale. In addition, the CTA is unhappy that the committee did not offer any rebuttals at the last town meeting to town officials who criticized the most recent teachers’ contract as too costly.

CTA President Pat Phalan addresses the School Committee.

Phalan said the latest proposal by the School Committee would put Canton so far behind other communities in terms of pay rates that it could force many teachers to leave the system. “It frankly feels like a slap in the face,” she said.

She noted that many teachers pay property taxes and understand the current financial times. “We simply are asking for a modest increase,” she said.

By way of comparison, Phalan said a teacher with a master’s degree and 10 years of experience would make $54,220 in Canton, while a teacher with the same degree and experience would make $69,993 in nearby Dedham.

Phalan also indicated that the eight bargaining sessions that the two sides have completed were not enough and that returning to the bargaining table was the reasonable thing to do.

Bonnanzio said that while he agreed with some of the comments offered by the teachers, he strongly disagreed with the notion that the committee does not support teachers. He pointed to two recent override attempts — including a successful $4.5 million override in 2008 — that involved both himself and Schutt.

According to Bonnanzio, if the committee went along with everything the CTA has asked for, then the town would have to resort to one of two options: “We either raise taxes or lay off a lot of you in this room.”

“We don’t want to tear this system down,” he said.

“The country is getting poorer and we have less money,” he continued. “We can’t give you more money unless we have more. The steps and lanes currently outpace the revenue stream of this town.”

“We can’t make money which does not exist,” said Bonnanzio. “This is not the School Committee not respecting you. It’s simple economics – rough, tough and ugly. We didn’t make the situation.”

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Posted by Mike Berger on Jun 22 2011. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.