Crown Point teachers accept wage freeze

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

April 22, 2009

By LOHR McKINSTRY The Press Republican Fri May 14, 2010, 07:33 PM EDT

CROWN POINT — To avoid layoffs, the Crown Point Central School Teachers Union has agreed to a wage freeze.

Superintendent Shari Brannock proposed the pay freeze, under which each teacher and assistant agreed to work during the 2009-10 school year at the same salary as the current school year.

"This generous concession is being applauded by all members of the Crown Point School community," Brannock said.

NO STEP INCREASES
She said the pay freeze includes the teachers not getting any step increases — the regular raises standard in a contract — so "what you were paid (this) year, you'll be paid next year."

A budget shortfall would have required layoffs without the freeze, Brannock said, "which would result in reduced educational programs."

The teachers made a difficult sacrifice in order to help kids, she said, and the savings will be more than $100,000.

"This true pay freeze is thought to be the first in the state by a New York State United Teachers-represented bargaining unit, and the teachers should be credited with showing tremendous character to help protect student programs, control the budget, save jobs and preserve the future of our school."

The agreement will let the district produce "a significantly lower budget than was otherwise anticipated," Brannock said.

OTHER PAY FROZEN
She said the school uses the theme of working as a TEAM, an acronym that stands for Together Everyone Achieves More.

Brannock said seven other employees in the district previously agreed to a pay freeze for 2009-10: the superintendent, administrative assistant, treasurer, deputy treasurer, Committee on Special Education chairperson, school psychologist and district clerk.

Crown Point has 32 teachers, seven teaching assistants and 281 students.

Twenty-nine other staff members didn't agree to the pay freeze, and most will receive a 4.5-percent contractual raise next school year.

The district's non-instructional staff contract runs until 2011.

EDUCATION VALUE
The pay freeze is part of a new one-year contract approved Tuesday by the teachers' negotiating team. The teachers will vote on the contract in the next couple of weeks, and the School Board is slated to vote to accept it at its May meeting.

Teachers Union President Connie Pereau said the teachers went into negotiations wanting to help the district.

"The whole point behind this was to keep the value of education at the highest level possible. That is what our goal has been schoolwide since this started. We want to impact the education of the children as little as possible."

This is the last year of a three-year contract that expires June 30, Pereau said.

"Many school employees and community members have been willing to help," Brannock said. "They've provided valuable input for cost savings by offering budget ideas and suggestions over the past two months."

Brannock said they're still working on the 2009-10 budget, so tax-levy information is not available yet.

E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com