The four Republican members of the Board of Finance want to tear up new contracts between the Board of Education and the school district’s teachers and administrators.
The agreements approved by the school board Oct. 30 pay principals too much money and include too many sick days, Finance Board members said.
At a special meeting Wednesday, the board voted 4-2 to recommend the town’s Board of Selectmen be put in front of the public at a town meeting scheduled for Dec. 14.
The vote was split among party lines, with Democrats Mike Lyon and Nancy Schmitt voting in the minority.
Board member Dick Burke said administrators receive starting salaries of $89,000 a year and with annual increases, are making $120,000 by the third year on the job.
Burke said administrators receive 45 paid sick days, six weeks paid vacation and 18 paid holidays throughout the school year.
“This money needs to come out of the pockets of the administrators and back into the classrooms,” he said.
Copies of both contracts are posted at the end of this article.
Board member Tom Kelly said the administrator’s contract appeared to be one sided, in favor of the administrators.
“The contract is all about what the administrators are getting and does not have much of what Oxford is getting in return,” he said.
The agreements approved by the school board Oct. 30 show a zero percent wage increase for the Oxford Education Association (the teacher’s union) and Oxford Administrators Association (school administrators, other than the superintendent) in the first year of the contracts.
The two-year teachers contract, scheduled to begin Sept. 1, 2010 calls for a one percent cost of living increase in its second year.
The three-year administrator’s contract — scheduled to begin July 1, 2010 — calls for a 2 percent wage increase in its second year, and a 2.5 percent increase in the third year.
At least three school officials were at the Board of Finance meeting, but did not attempt to speak. Rules regarding “special meetings” prohibit public comment, members of the Board of Finance said.
Board of Education member Paula Guillet told the Valley Independent Sentinel her colleagues negotiated a good and fair contract with teachers and administrators.
Guillet said that if the contracts go to a town meeting and are rejected by residents, the contracts could go into arbitration.
“If the contracts go to arbitration, it will cost the town a lot more money,” she said.
Republican Selectman David Yish supports the Board of Finance’s recommendation, adding that having discussions on the contracts would be good for residents.
Yish said he requested at Wednesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting that the education contracts be added to the town meeting scheduled for Dec. 14.
Yish’s motion was overruled, with Democratic Selectman Dave McKane voting no. First Selectwoman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers, a Democrat, abstained.
“Hopefully, with the Finance Board’s recommendation, the Board of Selectmen will reconsider its decision,” he said.
In an interview Thursday, Drayton-Rogers questioned the legality of the Board of Finance vote. She said the board’s agenda did not state its members would vote on the issue — therefore rendering the vote moot.
“It doesn’t make any difference how the vote went and makes me question the board’s motivation,” she said. “The contract was negotiated in good faith.”
The teachers contract was submitted to the Town Clerk’s Office on Nov. 12 and the administrators contract was submitted on Nov. 16.
The contracts are open to the public for 30 days of receipt at the Town Clerk’s office before they are ratified, according to state law.
why doesn’t the finance board just reject the contract and let it go to arbitration? Instead of wasting all this time and money on a special meeting and a referendum? Unless it just to hear themselves talk.
If the BOF is focusing on wages, then these increases (or lack thereof) do not seem unreasonable. As an employee who recently found out that I would not be getting a wage increase this year, I feel very comfortable knowing that my town has negotiated an agreement with teachers that is reflective of the current economic environment. Having followed this BOF their attitude towards the BOE, and those individuals who have been reelected, this would appear to be a very pointed, partisan decision, by individuals who have an axe to grind.
For those who did not attend the BOF meeting, I did. I have never heard such total disrespect and lack of knowledge at any town meeting other than the last BOE meeting. The contracts are extremely fair and do benefit this town. A point which seems to be lost is that our administrators have done things for our kids. They gave three furlough days which totaled about 12,000 which was then based upon a BOE motion used to replace the talented and gifted programs not just to two schools but to the three elementary schools.Check the BOE minutes in April 09. These people work to set curriculum guideline which have proven to increase our CMT scores. The school adminstrators are an amazing group of dedicated people with one thing in mind. The best education for the KIDS of Oxford.
The members of the BOF are not working with the best interest of the town. This is personal.One member even commented he is jealous. IF the town rejects these contracts it goes to arbitration. Last best offers are given to the arbitrator. You can be sure we will not see the same result.The arbitrator picks either the OEA or OAA last offer or the BOE’s. There will be a discussion of the towns ability to pay. With current surplus amounts, the abitrator would be hard pressed to say our town does not have the ability to pay. Please look at the Seymour arbitrated settlement. Please contact the members of the BOF and tell them to stop this political behavior and do what it right for the town.
All…what the BOF is doing is simply a show. They have no jurisdiction over the contracts, they are simply showing the residents of Oxford just how prejudiced Republicans are against the teachers and administrators unions. It will be the Republicans on the BOF and the BOE who will be doing everything in their power to try to teach a “lesson” to the unions and it will definitely backfire!
Fact – the “Special” meeting the BOF held had one item on their agenda, and that was a discussion of the contracts, nothing else. Since it was a special meeting, they could not amend the agenda and since there was no action permitted, their “vote” was illegal and is non-binding.
Fact – by State Statute, there is a 30 day window to reject these contracts by the “legislative body” and in Oxford, this is the Town meeting. The Admin’s contracts were stamped 11/12, so in order for the Admin contracts to even be discussed, the town meeting would have to have been on 12/12 or sooner and since it is on 12/14, by law, the Admin’s contract cannot be rejected.
The teacher’s contract was stamped 11/16 and could have been reviewed at the Town meeting, but the motion to send this to the town meeting failed at the BOS in a 1 (for) to 1 (against) to 1 (abstention) tie. Therefore, this item is not moving forward to the town meeting either.
The Republican members of the BOF have been involved in politics in Oxford for a LONG TIME, so they know the rules and regulations, which is why they held their meeting, to simply put on a show!
What people also need to realize is that even if the contracts were forwarded to the town meeting and rejected, by the same state statute, a referendum would then have to have been held to solidify the rejection. If solidified, this would have gone to Arbitration and the end result would be better for the Teacher’s and Admin’s, not the residents of Oxford.
All this did was show more people who the Republicans truly are, vindictive people who will do anything to create controversy in Oxford.