NORWICH – Tensions rose at Tuesday’s school board meeting after pay raises were approved for the superintendent and deputy superintendent by a 4 to 2 vote.
As of June 30, City of Norwich school district teachers and support staff will be without a renewed contract for one year.
According to data collected from the New York State Education Department’s Web site, Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan received $142,590 last year and will receive $148,294 next year – a 4 percent increase. Deputy Superintendent Margaret Boice received $115,117.80 last year and will receive $119,492 for next school year – a 3.8 percent increase.
Audience members appeared displeased with the pay raises.
District resident and Oxford Guidance Counselor Virginia Pluta said that in Oxford, the administration does not give raises to themselves until all contracts are settled within the district.
Teacher and Norwich Educator’s Organization (NEO) Vice President Bruce Race also spoke out against the pay raises. Race pointed out the raises the administrators were getting equaled approximately what the NEO had asked for during the contract negotiation process. The teacher said at face value, the compensation looked similar, until he took a closer look at the offer the district brought to the bargaining table for teachers.
“You will discover the offer being made to the NEO only includes the base salary and not the full salary and requires the union members to give back medical benefits. Will the superintendent give back medical benefits as well?”
Race continued: “This is unfathomable. The superintendent has 100 percent medical benefits for himself and 50 percent for his family upon retirement. The deputy superintendent has 100 percent medical benefits for herself and her family. To date, the retired NEO members receive $1,500 toward the district’s medical plan until they qualify for Medicare.
“We believe equity; if it is the district’s position that its employees should receive increases in salary between four and eight and a half percent on their full salary and receive 100 percent benefits upon retirement, then why are we at impasse and where do I sign?”
Times are hard right now for everyone, teacher Susan Fertig told the board, adding she did not understand the reasoning behind giving the administrators a raise while the district is paying an interim principal $500 a day in the high school while still paying absent principal Thomas Knapp. Fertig also said she doesn’t understand why the district is paying a substitute teacher while also paying a teacher who is on administrative leave.
Numerous district employees held signs in the back of the room last night that stated: “BOE, do you care about me?”
Patricia Pepe, president of the local support staff union, told the board her members are not happy with what happened on June 11, the last date the district and union officials met and contracts were still unsettled.
In a letter going out today to support staff members regarding the June meeting, it states, “At midnight it became clear that we were not going to be able to resolve those differences when the district made a salary proposal that was less than the proposal they gave us May 14.”
O’Sullivan spoke to the audience last night about the perspective he has regarding the negotiation process. He outlined the process of the meetings, indicated why a mediator was brought in and said he, too, believes the contract negotiations are not progressing adequately.
Board member Sally Chirlin asked to see a timeline from both of the unions as well as the district so the board could have the input of all three sides involved in the negotiations.