THE CHAIRMAN'S CORNER

The West Hartford School Board has proposed 1% and 1.25% salary increases for teachers over the next two years. These proposed increases are in addition to the “step” increases which guarantee incremental salary increases to teachers simply based on the number of years worked. Maybe giving teachers 1% and 1.25% salary increases over the next two years is fine. Perhaps giving them a guaranteed “step” increase is fine. But to give both is irresponsible and then claiming that they were tough during negotiations is disingenuous. Given the current “step” increases, the Board should have refused to accept anything but a 0% increase, and the Mayor should have chastised the teachers’ union for seeking additional salary increases during this current financial crisis. Amazingly, not only does Mayor Slifka support the proposed increases, but called them “an enormous gesture in recognition of the gravity of the times.” We strongly disagree with the Mayor and, surprisingly, so does the Courant!

The following is the December 13, 2008 Courant article entitled “Tough Contract Bargaining? West Hartford Teachers. New deal with school board still costly.”:

“West Hartford school board chairman Terry Schmitt characterizes the two-year agreement reached with the teachers union calling for a 1 percent raise in the first year and 1.25 percent in the second ‘a harbinger of the things to come, of what's going to be happening in town after town.’ Mayor Scott Slifka called the contract ‘an enormous gesture in recognition of the gravity of the times.’An outside observer could look at the contract and just as easily conclude that teachers will get more pay for less work.Yes, the raises are the lowest in recent memory. That's to be expected when the state is in an economic free-fall. And teachers will pay slightly more for their health care coverage.But about two-thirds of the union's 867 members will receive ‘step’ increases — above and beyond the two years of raises — according to their seniority. Nobody should be paid more for just showing up. And the new contract calls for teachers to work one less day each year over the next two school years.The district now has 184 instructional days, with at least 180 required by state law. The 2009-10 school year would be reduced to 183 days followed by 182 days in the 2010-11 year. That's going the wrong way.”