Hundreds of Boston teachers rally over contract
Hundreds of teachers blew horns, rang bells, and chanted ‘‘Talk to Teachers’’ at a rally Wednesday night at Boston School Department headquarters, in hopes of speeding up protracted negotiations over a new contract.
Many teachers expressed frustration in interviews that negotiations have dragged on for 20 months, and said they were disappointed that school district administrators have at times appeared to cast teachers in a negative light as they push to change the way they are evaluated and paid under a new contract.
‘‘Teachers work very hard, and we are deserving of our wages,’’ said Adeline Dajuste, a teacher at the Kenny Elementary in Dorchester. ‘‘We come in early, stay late, work through our lunch, tutor children after school, and correct papers at home. We have gone above and beyond what we are asked to do. At least give us a cost of living increase.’’
Michael Lally, a teacher at the Eliot School in the North End, said: ‘‘Sometimes we get the message that teachers are not doing a great job. It can be demoralizing.’’
But Matthew Wilder, a school department spokesman, said that “the superintendent and her administrative team hold teachers in very high regard.’’
The teachers rallied just before the School Committee met behind closed doors to discuss collective bargaining strategies related to the contract negotiations. The School Committee later returned to public session for a presentation about a potential $28 million shortfall for the next fiscal year.
The teachers have been without a contract since Aug. 31, 2010, when their old agreement expired, making it one of the longest periods that teachers have worked without a contract.
“We want to wrap this [contract] up, but it’s hard to wrap it up ourselves,’’ Richard Stutman, president of the Boston Teachers Union, said in an interview before the rally. “We need cooperation on the other side.’’
School officials blame the teacher union’s leadership for the delays, arguing they are pushing a proposal, which includes a range of salary increases, that the city cannot afford.
‘‘We look forward to sitting down with the BTU to work out the critical issues,’’ said Michael Goar, deputy superintendent. ‘‘It’s time for the BTU to join us ... and realize $116 million is unreasonable in this economy.’’
Goar was referring to the cost of proposed salary increases the union is requesting, according to calculations by the Boston Municipal Research Bureau. The School Department, on the other hand, is offering $32 million in pay raises, including one year without a raise.
Union leadership has rejected the $32 million proposal. Stutman said the union is waiting for the School Department to present a revised proposal.
It is unclear when both sides will agree on a contract. Negotiation sessions are scheduled through early March, and several other contentious issues remain unresolved, such as extending the school day by a half hour and tying teacher evaluation to the performance of their students in the classroom.
Stutman indicated in a letter to members recently that talks are moving in the ‘‘wrong direction,’’ based on the district’s latest offer.
As a drum-up to Wednesday night’s rally, the union rented a truck to carry a billboard that says ‘‘Talk to Teachers,’’ which has been traveling around the city since last Thursday.
Crowd estimates varied widely. Stutman said about 1,000 teachers showed up, adding that union organizers passed out more than 600 bells. The school department said police put turnout at around 200.
The rally featured brief remarks from three city councilors: Felix Arroyo, Frank Baker, and Charles Yancey.
Stutman spoke last and accused school district administrators of negotiating in bad faith.
‘‘Our school system has myriad problems,’’ he said. ‘‘Buses that are late. Special education services that are delayed, an ELL program that is under scrutiny from the Department of Justice, schools that are closed only to open the next year — and now we are in our second year without a contract for 7,000 hard working and productive employees.’’
The teachers then marched around the building as the School Committee reopened its meeting to the public. The whistles, bells, and chanting could be heard inside.
In her report to the School Committee, Superintendent Carol R. Johnson said that the projected budget shortfall was smaller than previous years, but it would still cause some pain.
“The financial challenge is even more difficult to overcome because we have already cut deeply,’’ Johnson said.
The anticipated $28.2 million shortfall is surfacing, even though Mayor Thomas M. Menino is planning to give the school department more money. Next year’s school budget allocation is expected to be $856.6 million, a 3.1 percent increase from this year.
Driving much of the shortfall, however, are decreases in federal aid programs.
Some schools, such as the Curley in Jamaica Plain and the Mather in Dorchester, have been raising concerns about budget problems next year.
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