By Doug Miller
The union has been without a collective bargaining agreement with the district since July 1, 2004.
In an e-mail announcing the demonstration, the union, the Long Beach Classroom Teachers Association, declared, "The Long Beach City School Board is demanding unreasonable concessions from the union."
The union's president, Frank Volpe, promised the demonstration would be "informational."
"Sept. 6 is a conference day, so we're getting the message out that we're going into our second year with an expired contract," Volpe, a math teacher at Long Beach High School, said. "We the teachers do a very good job, and should not be in that situation."
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Greenberg refused to comment on the negotiations or on the announced demonstration, but school board Trustee Patrick Gallagher said he doubted the concessions were "unreasonable." "Everything is relative," Gallagher said Tuesday night. "We as a board are just trying to provide a service to the community. We respect [the teachers] and hope they respect us. Ultimately, I think they are going to do the right thing, and so are we."
The union has increasingly made its presence felt at Board of Education meetings since last winter, when members began attending wearing matching T-shirts. Their numbers steadily swelled through the spring.
The union and school board are scheduled to begin the "fact-finding" process next Wednesday, a non-binding form of arbitration. The district's negotiator will present five proposals to an arbitrator, and the union's delegate will do the same. The arbitrator will then examine the proposals and issue a report, which the district and union can accept in whole or in part, or reject outright. While the negotiations between the district and the union are held in secret, the arbitrator's report is a public document.
Members of the union have worked without interruption since the last contract expired, and in the 2004-05 school year teachers worked under the terms of the last year of that contract, as they will when they report Sept. 1. Under those terms, a first-year teacher with a bachelor's degree and no post-graduate credits will earn a base salary of $48,908. At the other end of the spectrum, a teacher with more than 20 years of service and a doctoral degree will earn a base salary of $99,633, plus stipends for seniority, which accrue each year. In between, teachers' salaries are determined by years of service and levels of education achieved.
Under the old contract, a teacher receives a stipend of $1,802 each year after 13 years of service. After 18 years that stipend jumps to $5,127, after 19 years it increases to $6,027, and after 24 years it hits $6,850.
Board notes
Greenberg announced Tuesday night that his office had received more than 100 applications for the vacant vice principal's position at Long Beach High School. He said he hopes to have someone in place by October.
The board voted to approve the new code of conduct for students, which now includes a provision for electronic threats via e-mail, instant messaging and the like. A group of citizens demanded to know why cell phone use - by students and teachers - hasn't been banned by the board. But school officials said the changing nature of the world made it important for parents to be able to reach their children. Greenberg said the issue would be re-examined.
Comments about this story? Dmiller@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext 213.
