Teacher Raises Shrinking on LI--Your Help Needed to Continue the Trend

By JOHN HILDEBRAND  with Joie Tyrrell -Newsday
 
Teachers across Long Island are doing the math and settling for lower raises.

In a growing number of Long Island school districts, they’ve agreed to annual raises roughly half the size of those negotiated in multi-year contracts before the economy nose-dived in 2008. And with residents balking at skyrocketing taxes and heavy pressure to resolve the state’s fiscal woes, experts say contracts are likely to continue to get leaner. read more at Newsday

Bearing this in mind, please write to Philip Maier-Regional Director of NYS PERB- Public Relations Board's Brooklyn regional office. This office is in charge of the current mediation between the Smithtown Central School District and the Smithtown Teachers' Association. The contract with the STA expired in spring 2010, and teachers continue to be covered by the expired contract as per the Triborough Amendment, and have received STEP increases in pay during this time.

We ask for a very low contractual salary increase (on top of yearly STEP increases) and an increase in contributions to health benefits. In addition, no future give-back, balloon raise, or bonus increases should be written into the new contract. In short, nothing to 'sweeten the pot.' The district cannot maintain the current level of STEPS, raises, and extras for credits earned and longevity, which amount to 7-8% yearly increases, so give-backs are out of the question.

Philip Maier
NYS PERB
55 Hanson Pl.
Suite 700
Brooklyn, NY 11217