The Herricks school board and teachers' union have ended talks without agreeing on contract revisions, the board announced last week.
"We regret to announce that discussions between the board and the Herricks Teachers Association regarding possible revision of the current contract have ended," Board President Christine Turner said in a statement she read before a relatively filled Herricks High School cafeteria. "The members of the board appreciate the willingness of the HTA to open discussions as well as the offer they made."
Turner also noted that the HTA was not obligated to re-open its existing contract. She added that while the HTA's offer would have provided some relief for the district for the next two years, it was also basically the same offer from the start to the finish of the discussions and the board of education "was unwilling to trade some current relief at the cost of substantially compounding future problems."
"The package offered by the teachers was considerably less than what was offered and agreed to by Herricks secretaries, custodians and administrators," Turner said.
"Last spring, the secretaries and custodians gave p most of the increase they were due to receive in 2011-2012, the last year of their current contract. Secretaries and custodians did receive an extension but a level considerably less than what the teachers asked for and with no deferral of the 5% increase in their health insurance contribution in June 2012. The administrators, whose current contract is concurrent with the term of the teachers' agreement, gave up half of their increase for their last three years and agreed to assume the work of administrative positions being collapsed. They did not ask for or receive an extension. Herricks teachers were the only group in Herricks to receive a full raise this year and giving them a better deal for future than employee groups which stepped forward already seems unfair and inappropriate."
The HTA's offer was also substantially less than agreements that have been reached with teachers in the East Meadow, Jericho and Great Neck school districts, Turner said.
Turner's statement was followed by one from HTA President Jane Morales.
"The teachers offered give-backs from our current contract which is due to expire in 2014," Morales said. "These reductions would have saved the district $2.9 million over the next two years, and would have reduced the current 3% increases in each of the last two years in this contract. Coupled with retirement incentives already agreed to, these concessions would have completely closed the current $2 million budget gap. In return the teachers requested a contract extension which would have enabled the salary increases to more closely adhere to the 2% tax levy restriction and assurances that academic programs would be preserved."
Both Turner and Morales noted that the two groups are still open to communicating and continuing to work together.
