Schools

NFT Discusses Negotiations, Contract Proposal and Back-to-School Nights

The Neshaminy Federation of Teachers held a press conference Tuesday afternoon to address several topics.

In an effort to keep the Neshaminy community informed, the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers [NFT] held a press conference Tuesday afternoon about the contract talks and what teachers are doing to reach a compromised agreement with the school district.

"We really believe that the talks between the NFT and the school district have taken a new life in recent weeks," NFT President Louise Boyd said in reference to both sides exchanging current financial and work force information that are necessary to calculate the cost of various proposals.

The NFT has calculated that the new terms represent a savings of more than $21 million to the district over the life of the six-year contract in concessions made by the teachers from the counter offer the NFT was seeking in May.

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Boyd said that teachers have "significantly reduced" salary proposals and that pay levels would be frozen for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years. They are requesting a 1 percent pay raise for the 2010-11 school year and "modest" increases for the remaining three years of the contract proposal. They are also proposing to reduce the retirement benefit package. In addition, the union is offering "substantial design changes" to the current health care plan that hold the promise to reduce costs for all in the future, Boyd said.

"Teachers want a resolution to these prolonged talks. We want that just as much as our neighbors in the community want it and just as much as the parents and the students. Everyone is tired of this process," she said.

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"Ultimately, we hope to get this going. I would love to get a contract settled. I've been to 35 meetings and I’ll go to 35 more meetings," school board President Ritchie Webb said at Tuesday's board meeting.

"I think the difference between the bargaining strategies is that the NFT is trying to say to you 'bargain to the middle;' I want to bargain to what we can afford. If we can’t afford it, the very reason that we’re here goes down the tube," he continued.

Financial professionals from both sides are scheduled to meet Monday, September 19 to crunch numbers and try to agree on financial figures. Another negotiation session will be scheduled after this meeting. 

With back-to-school nights approaching, Boyd said that one thing teachers are not doing is letting the "disagreement with the school board intrude" on their work in the classroom and the relationships teachers try to build with students and their parents.

In addition, she said that the NFT "never planned any activity that would disrupt them" after she said Superintendent Louis Muenker shared concerns that teachers may disrupt back-to-school nights with picketing inside and out of the schools.

On August 19, advising her "discontinue the dissemination of union propaganda to parents while on district property," stating that it violates district policy.

Following this letter, the stating that in the past these actions had not been restricted. According to filing, Muenker's order was meant to "restrict, limit and chill" the NFT and its members' rights as well as to "silence" the union in its efforts to represent teachers during the contract impasse.


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