By Liz McBreen
The contract for WH teachers expired in June of 2001, and negotiations are still on going. West Hempstead Education Association President Barbara Hafner explained that as of April 8, the night of the picket, the Fact-Finding portion of the negotiations was set to begin. In short, the Board of Education is now in the process of researching data before making a final agreement. The mediation that took place prior to this phase proved unsuccessful.
Sylvia Cuiman, a teacher at the Middle School, said that all the teachers in West Hempstead are fighting for the same things. "The situation is very frustrating. At the beginning of the year, the board told us how we had rose to the demands the state had made, and now they refuse to show us any respect," said Cuiman. "Their actions do not agree with their words."
The veteran educator went on to say how proud she is of her colleagues. "They are such a dynamic group of people, and we believe this has not effected the children at all. We are hurt amongst ourselves, but it will not effect what the children experience in the classroom."
Several of the teachers present understood that a full-out strike is against New York State Law. They would prefer, however, not to strike anyway. "We don't want the children to suffer from this," said one of the protesters.
Despite the upbeat tone of the demonstration, Hafner admitted that something like this inevitably affects morale. "The teachers feel defeated. They have been involved in negotiations for over a year, and their voice is only being heard by a lawyer," said Hafner, referring to Attorney Greg Guercio, the appointed mediator representing the Board of Education during negotiations.
Expressing her concern for this situation, Hafner said, "He doesn't have any educational background, and that makes the negotiations very difficult. The job just isn't getting done." Hafner went on to say that the mediation process fell apart quickly, and, as a result, teachers from all five schools in the district are beginning to look for positions elsewhere.
"This affects every one of the 200 teachers in the Education Association, as well as the Teacher's Assistants," said Hafner.
Jonathan Singer, a teacher at the high school, said her frustration is mounting. "Morale has definitely suffered among the teachers, and I personally know of about a dozen teachers in my school who are actively looking for elsewhere."
Laura Ritrovato, another WH teacher echoed the sentiments of many of her colleagues, "We just want it to be solved."
At a March 6 informational meeting, Guercio outlined the stumbling blocks that impede a settlement between the school board and the teachers for the community members in attendance.
The points of contention include a salary increase, lengthening the teacher's work day, teacher participation in 'professional periods' that would allow them to remain current with their profession, and a mandatory extra hour a week is being requested of the teachers so that appointments can be made for extra help.
The district's attorney also explained at the meeting that "fair salaries are based on the wealth of the residents of a district, and West Hempstead residents' income is about 15% below the median income for Nassau County. If the WH salary scale is compared to other districts in the county, we are in the 25th to 50th percentile."
"The board is not offering what we consider a reasonable contract," explained Dr. Michael Lagana on the night of the picket. Lagana, who teaches Social Studies at the high school, believes that West Hempstead's contracts are repeatedly lower than most of its neighboring districts, including Roosevelt, Uniondale and Rockville Centre and Hempstead.
"This affects not only the teachers, but the entire community. A school district without a good reputation will result in lower property values and low community values," said Lagana.
For Barbara Dellicarpini, an English teacher at the high school, her work, oddly enough, is the only thing that can get her mind off of the issue. "We get a boost from being in the classroom with the students, and from events like this. It's very encouraging that people care enough to come out and support the cause."
