White Plains CitizeNetReporter - Teachers Reach Tentative Agreement on One Year Extension of Contract For 03/04.

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. January 24, 2003: Jerry Gorski, President of the White Plains Teachers Association, reported to WPCNR Friday that the teachers union as reached a tentative agreement with the City School District on a one year extension of their contract expiring in June of this year.

WHITE PLAINS TEACHERS ASSOCIATION extended an olive branch to the school district with an one-year interim wage agreement announced today, postponing serious longterm contract issues on personnel, work conditions, benefits until next fall.
Photo of White Plains High School by WPCNR StreetCam

Gorski said he could not disclose the terms of the extension reached in negotiation with Superintendent of Schools, Tim Connors, until all his teachers have been notified. In the last year of the current contract, expiring June, 2003, the teachers are scheduled to receive a pay increase of 3.5%. Asked if the extension included a raise more or less, Gorski declined to specify.

Only Wages Involved.

The President of the union told WPCNR that it was his decision to negotiate the one-year extension to give his new negotiating team more chance to familiarize themselves with the issues facing the district and the union, before negotiating a long-term contract.

Gorski also reported that the one-year extension (which still requires ratification by union vote), involved wages only. No work rules, personnel matters, benefits were affected.

Negotiations on the Big One to Begin in December.

Mr. Gorski said he expected the new negotiating team would begin negotiations on a long term contract in December of this year with Mr. Connors, who negotiated today's extension. Gorski said that the new negotiating team would include the union’s Vice President of Salary & Benefits, the Chairperson of the Working Conditions Committee, and the Personnel Committee Chairperson. He said none of those persons are high school teachers, and he expected that one or two high school teachers within the Teachers Association would be included on the Negotiating Committee. He said the team had already attended two workshops to prepare them for the implications of the long term contract issues to be taken up at the end of the year with Mr. Connors.

Breathing Room for Both Sides

‘This (extension) was undertaken on my initiative and our Executive Board,” Gorski told WPCNR Friday afternoon. “It gives advantages to both the School Board and ourselves. The new Superintendent, Timothy Connors, wants to do the negotiations for the School District. He negotiated with us on this extension, and the new Superintendent will be negotiating the future contract. This gives him additional time to get to know the issues. This (extenstion) wasn’t just because of the Superintendent.

Depending on Settlement, Tentative Budget Now Sits on the Cusp of $130MM

Depending on the actual amount of the wage settlement, whether it is 3.5%, in line with the current year increase, or less, closer to the present rate of inflation nationally (2.25%) it eases pressures on the School Budget for 2003-04.

If the increase is another 3.5%, using simple math, direct rule of thumb, it will force the school budget up approximately 3.5% or $4.4 Million, up from $126.9 Million in 02-03 to approximately $131.3 Million. However it may be less depending on the wage distribution across the experience levels. However, it could be more, considering that the Consumer Price Index shows inflation potentially increasing to 4.4% over the next six months.

WPCNR is seeking School District clarification of exactly the impact on the school budget preparations scheduled to begin January 29.


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