MAYVILLE - In a statement released at its meeting Wednesday, the Chautauqua Lake Central School Board of Education said it is shocked with the way the school's teachers' association is handling the parties' contract impasse, which is now in its third year.
The board was responding to an incident Oct. 22 at the school, when the teachers' association contacted media in both Jamestown and Buffalo about its frustration and disappointment with what it views as the board's unwillingness to further discuss negotiations.
Jay Baker, CLCS board of education president, read the statement in which the board called the ''preemptive public comments ... inappropriate and not productive to positive labor relations.''
''Perhaps the best word to describe the board's current feeling toward the association's interaction with the media is shock,'' the statement read.
Media summoned to the school last week by the association were told that the teachers are ''frustrated and disappointed'' with the board's current position.
Judy Davenport, CLCS Teachers' Association president, told reporters that board members have refused to meet with teachers who have requested to do so; that sticking points in the negotiations include salaries, longevity and hiring practices; and that CLCS teachers could make $10,000 more if they worked at other districts.
The teachers have been without a contract since the previous one expired on June 30, 2007.
Laying out the history of the negotiations, the board's statement said the teachers' rejection of a revised Public Employment Relations Board fact-finding report in July has led negotiations to where they currently stand.
''(The final report) awarded raises to the association of 19 percent over four years and included additional monetary awards in the form of master's degree compensation,'' the statement read.
''Although the economy took a significant downturn during the period of the fact-finding and the ultimate financial award was higher than the last offer made by the district, the district accepted the final fact-finding report in hopes that the matter could be resolved. However, the association rejected this report.''
The PERB report suggested a 4 percent raise for teachers in 2007-08 and 5 percent over each of the remaining three years of the contract, including existing step-increments. Teachers originally requested a 4.7 percent raise in 2007-08, an 8.4 percent raise in 2008-09, a 7.8 percent raise in 2009-10 and a 7.7 percent raise in 2010-11. The district rebuttal was 4 percent in 2007-08 and 4.2 percent over each of the subsequent three years.
After the teachers rejected the fact-finding report, the district agreed to mutually file for ''Super Conciliation,'' another formal outside intervention through PERB, with an individual suggested by the teachers to conduct proceedings. As part of the agreement, the board statement reads, both sides agreed to waive a requirement to meet informally to discuss the failed fact-finding report.
''Subsequently, the board is surprised to hear that the association desires to meet informally in advance of Super Conciliation, a process they requested,'' the board statement reads.
Saying that the district has been able to settle all other employment agreements in the past - including settlements in the past year of 4 percent, 4 percent and 4 percent raises with non-instructional staff and of 2.5 percent, 0 percent, 3 percent and 3 percent raises with the superintendent - the board statement urged teachers to stop airing dirty laundry.
''With the economy continuing to struggle, abysmal state aid projections, and the governor calling for districts to use fund balance to offset possible midyear cuts, we continue to seek an agreement with the teachers' association that is fair and equitable for all,'' the board statement reads. ''We believe that arriving at that agreement can only happen at the bargaining table via the process the teachers' association agreed to, and not by negotiating in public.''