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Conference 7.286::maynard

Title:Maynard -- Center of the Universe
Notice:Welcome to our new digs...
Moderator:PRAGMA::GRIFFIN
Created:Wed Aug 06 1986
Last Modified:Thu Feb 20 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:509
Total number of notes:4062

286.0. "Story in Beacon on teacher's union" by 21007::LESAGE () Fri Apr 26 1991 13:07

    I read in the Beacon last night the story about the teachers union's
    proposal.  I am not clear on what happened. Did the union say they would
    forfeit next years raise if the school committee voted not to endorse
    the regionalization plan or if the town voted regionalization down? 
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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286.1The teachers' proposal25415::RUZICHDo you know how to spell 'lacrosse'?Thu May 02 1991 20:0560
.0>    I read in the Beacon last night the story about the teachers union's
.0>    proposal.  I am not clear on what happened. Did the union say they would
.0>    forfeit next years raise if the school committee voted not to endorse
.0>    the regionalization plan 

No.  I even heard one school committee candidate say that at the
candidates' debate, Monday, and it is untrue.  (I'm sure he knows better.) 

.0>    or if the town voted regionalization down? 
    
Yes, that's it.  The teachers offered to forego raises for the coming year
if (1) the town votes down regionalization, and (2) the school committee
doesn't close the Maynard schools and just tuition all the kids out
somewhere else before 1993, and (3) money is restored to athletics and
extra-curricular activities. 

The salary give-back would save between $300,000 and $350,000, depending on
how many unions join in.  The money to be restored to athletics and
extra-curricular activities is about $20,000 of that.

I'm going on shakey ground and speculate about why the teachers made such
a proposal.  It appears to me that the Maynard teachers are saying that
they acknowledge that the town has financial problems, and that they are
willing to give back their raises to help us all out, if we want to keep
the schools in town. 

You see, four members of the School Committee are in favor of
regionalization, and they would like to make it appear as attractive as
possible.  If they can make the Maynard Schools maximally expensive, then
merging with Acton-Boxboro might not look so bad to the voters.  (Salary is
the majority of the school budget.) On the other hand, if the teachers
are willing to give back their raises, then it looks as if we in Maynard
may be able to handle our own financial situation, and that removes much of
the justification to regionalization for money. 

Now, why did the teachers make the proposal contingent on the failure of
regionalization?  Last year, Acton teachers made, on the average, about
$42,000, while those in Maynard averaged about $34,000.   If we
regionalize, something like 25-30 Maynard teachers will be canned (Comella
says '30' in his campaign literature - you'll have bigger classes in Green
Meadow, folks!).  State law says that when a regionalization occurs, then
in the 2nd year, all the teachers must have the same contract, and that no
one makes any less money than they did before. 

That means that the Maynard teachers have to be started on track to join up
with the $42,000 average in the 2nd year.  (That's about an $820,000
increase, in total, for the remaining Maynard teachers and staff, according
to Maynard's Superintendant, Dr. Ciardi.)  Since all the money would have
regional control, why bother to freeze wages for a year then? 

Anyway, the teachers have many reasons want local control of the schools,
despite the fact that they would make more bucks in the regionalized
system. For example, last year, Acton-Boxboro was up for accreditation by
the State. They didn't get it.  The accreditation  was not refused, but the
evaluation delayed for a year. The report particularly cited a lack of
trust between the teachers and administration, and suggested that AB remedy
the situation, and apply again next year.  So, perhaps the Maynard teachers
prefer what they have here. 

-Steve