Parent: Will Good Teachers Leave Without Decent Salary?

president Steve Beatty said Tuesday that a lack of acceptance of a new state of reality is part of what has left the union and the board of education at an impasse in negotiations.

“It is unfortunate that we are at an impasse that we have been at for the better part of a year,” he said at Tuesday’s board of education meeting. “Since the process began, we have been told it is up to us to accept a new state of reality, with little or no salary increase and increased time on task.”

“But it appears to us that at this point it is the board and the board’s team that needs to accept reality,” he added.

The B-REA’s contract expired in June 2011, and the . At the third session on March 15, the mediator determined a settlement could not be reached at future sessions, and that it was time for the two entities to go into .

Rolling Hills Road resident, and parent, Martha Barrett said she is amazed by what has been going on through the negotiation process.

“I am here to represent the teachers,” she said. “I’m not a teacher, I’m a parent, but the teachers make our community what it is.”

“Teachers went into education because they had a burning passion to help, to nurture, to assist all the children in the district,” she added. “Giving up lunches, that’s miniscule, but they come in early and they stay late.”

Beatty said he knows the mediator spent about five hours with the two sides at the recent mediation session, but there was only about 15 minutes actually spent with the B-REA team, while the rest of the time was spent with the board of education’s team.

“You can interpret that how you will, but it seems fairly clear that the mediator would be an expert in all things, and it seemed it was the board team that clearly was not ready to accept that the board’s offer was unacceptable,” he said.

Board of education president Evan Lerner disputed that, saying it was his understanding that the mediator actually spent most of the time with the board representative and the union representative, talking in the hallway.

“Our perception was one of basically talking amongst ourselves for the majority of the evening,” he said.

Still, Beatty said, the union has made concessions, and there was the possibility of saving a great deal of money through health care contributions with previous offers from the B-REA.

“Only a fraction of the money would be necessary to come to the table in good faith, and offer teachers and staff of the district a fair and reasonable raise, one in line with reality,” he said.

As the union heads into the fact finding process, Beatty said, they are not concerned about the outcome.

“We have no fear, we know the facts will bear us out,” he said.

Barrett said she told her children she was preparing to speak on behalf of the teachers at the board of education meeting, and they immediately told her some of their favorite teachers during their time at the district.

And, Barrett said, it is important to recognize the work they have done.

“Why take advantage of them and not give them a decent salary?” she asked. “Are you appreciating all the teachers of the district, or are we going to lose the good ones?”

What do you think of the state of the negotiations at this point? Tell us in the comments!