Teachers and administrators contracts recently approved by the school board are not on Mondays’ town meeting agenda despite a recommendation by Board of Finance to put them there.
One Board of Finance member feels the omission is a deliberate act by the Board of Selectmen to keep the public from voting on the contracts.
The contracts — approved by the school board Oct. 30 — shows a zero percent wage increase for the Oxford Education Association (the teacher’s union) and the 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.
During a special meeting of the Finance Board Dec. 2, a majority of the members agreed the administrators’contract pays school principals too much money and provides too many sick days.
According to the administrators contract, administrators receive 45 paid sick days, six weeks paid vacation and 18 paid holidays throughout the school year.
The finance board voted 4 – 2 to recommend that the Board of Selectmen include the contracts on the agenda for Mondays’ town meeting for a public vote.
Republican Selectman David Yish supported the Board of Finance’s recommendation, and requested at the Board of Selectmens’ Dec. 2 meeting that the contracts be added to the town meeting agenda.
Yish’s motion was overruled, with Democratic Selectman Dave McKane voting no. First Selectwoman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers, a Democrat, abstained.
According to finance board member Tom Kelly, the Board of Selectmen decided that the concerns of his board were not worthy enough to include the contracts on the agenda.
He added the board’s denial is keeping the public from having its say on the matter.
“They don’t want the people to discuss it so they deliberately kept it off,” he said. “The Selectmen are telling the people they have to accept it the way it is.”
McKane said the Board of Education did an outstanding job negotiating contracts with and administrators, adding that the Board of Finance is a on a “power trip,” trying to micromanage other town boards.
“I wish they (Board of Finance) would understand what their role is and not try to manage other peoples boards,” he said.
The teachers contract was submitted to the Town Clerk’s Office on Nov. 12. 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.
McKane said because the teachers contract will be ratified on Monday and the administrators contract on Wednesday discussions on the contracts are unlikely.
“There will be no discussion of the contract nor do I think there will be any in the future,” he said.
Kelly said at this point there is not much more that can be done in regards to the contracts.
“The people are out of luck,” he said. “The only recourse is to vote the board out of office in two years.”
