SpeakOut
Teachers explain their requests, actions
David LaRoche NEGOTIATIONS CHAIRPERSON ASHBURNHAM-WESTMINSTER TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

Most teachers find it much easier to nurture and support others than to stand up for ourselves and our profession. Picketing, speaking out at school committee meetings and holding rallies is not in the DNA of most teachers. So what does it mean that the members of the Ashburnham-Westminster Teachers Association have been engaging in those activities over the past several weeks? It means there is growing frustration with the contract talks, and we want the community to know why.

Before addressing the contract, I want to make it clear that we are working just as hard as ever in our classrooms. Although we are very concerned about recent school budget cuts and the lack of a new contract, we continue to be proud of our students, their accomplishments, our schools, and of the education we provide.

Our students should be proud, too. They have above-average scores on the MCAS and the SAT, and above-average rates of attending college. They participate in many extra-curricular and volunteer activities and have a lot of school pride. They work hard and deserve the very best education possible.

Unfortunately, this year we have been working with a cloud over our heads. Despite a year of bargaining, we started school last fall without a new contract. That means we have been working without a raise, though we as teachers face the same rising costs as others in the community.

It seems we can not reach agreement over the contract proposals made. Although the association will not bargain over the details of this contract in the press, members of the school committee have asserted that their offer is fair, and we feel we must explain why we respectfully disagree. The major obstacles to a settlement concern teacher compensation - a combination of salary and health care benefits. Here are some important facts.

We already made concessions on health care. We understand that health care costs are rising, though, fortunately, not as rapidly here as in some other districts. Because the costs are going up, the teachers' bargaining team has already agreed to concessions. We have accepted changes in the plan design that would require our members to pay more out of pocket for their health coverage.

The school committee wants even more. Apparently, these concessions were not enough, as the school committee wants us to make even more. The concessions they are asking for would hurt those who have chronic medical conditions and for those preventative practices that are necessary for healthy living. They are asking too much.

Raises don't make up for the losses. Because the raises being offered are very modest, the raise will largely be eaten up by inflation and health care costs.

It doesn't add up. When you take the package as a whole: raises offered, minus the corrosive effect of inflation, minus the increased out-of-pocket health care costs, many members would be worse off financially under the new contract than they are today.

That's what we mean when we say that the offer is not fair.

Despite our concerns, the many concessions we have made toward settling, and our willingness to discuss the issues, the school committee has shown little desire to talk face to face with us unless we follow arbitrary rules that are set by them. That is why we have been wearing stickers that say "fair contract" and holding informational signs before school.

According to members of the school committee writing in the SpeakOut in The Community Journal on Jan. 25, these "demonstrations" have had "a detrimental effect on students." Really? Do they truly believe that exposing our students to the sight of teachers exercising their rights of free speech and assembly, as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, has a "detrimental effect" on students? In what way? We have seen no signs of trauma from students who have watched us rally or noticed our buttons.

In fact, we would encourage parents to take their children to the polls on election day, read the newspaper, and talk to them about public affairs and issues they are concerned about. Children should be encouraged to ask questions if they see their teachers - or anyone else in their community - holding signs and passing out leaflets. Doing so helps young minds to grow.

The school committee may hold up the specter of traumatized students to try to get us to stop speaking, but we know our students too well. If anything, students witnessing our positive passion is educational and maybe even motivating, but certainly not damaging.

We have been asked why we are we taking our message to the public rather than simply keeping it behind closed doors in the bargaining sessions. We are doing this because it is not only our compensation, but your schools, that are on the table.

As an association, we continually urge the state and local governments to provide adequate funding for public education. That means enough money to fund reasonable class sizes, a good selection of courses, adequate support systems within the district, and eliminating fees charged to parents for activities that should be free and available to all. Last but not least, it means offering the teachers of the AWRSD a fair and competitive contract.

In the final analysis, the quality of instruction provided by the teacher at the head of the classroom is the single most important factor in determining whether a child is receiving a good education. Having a fair, competitive contract is the best way to continue to attract and retain highly qualified teachers in this district. That is why we are speaking out: for ourselves, for our schools, and for the students we teach.