Unable to get concessions from district teachers, the Herricks Board of Education voted Thursday, May 5 to get an early start on staff cuts called for under the 2011-12 school budget by eliminating 25 positions.
Voters will go to the polls on May 17 to decide on the proposed $98.9 million budget, which represents a 2.55 percent increase over the current $96.5 million budget. The tax levy required for the budget is 3.78.
Under the proposed budget, 65 positions will be eliminated including 35 teachers.
Prior to finalizing the budget, the board said they hoped to minimize staff cutbacks by getting the teachers union to agree to salary concessions under their existing contract. But as of last week the board was unable to reach an agreement.
School officials said on Thursday that as part of the budget cuts the district does not plan to replace the current English Lead Chair Victor Jaccarino, who said he will be retiring at the end of the school year. Board officials also said there is also no plan in place to fill the vacant lead math chair position.
Science Chair Karen Hughes has been filling in as the mathematics chair for the last year, and will continue to pull double duty for the next school year school as well, according to assistant Superintendent of Schools Deirdre Hayes.
Jim Gounaris, who is running for a position on the school board, asked the board why there are no plans for a replacement English chairperson.
“I don’t think the district should be without an English chairperson,” Gounaris said.
“In order to up someone into that position, [English chair] one administrator would have to go,” Bierwirth said. “That’s the reality of budget cuts.”
Bierwirth said that the problem with hiring a new person to take over the position would require adding to the budget.
He said that the teachers are already aware they will have to be stepping up to take over more responsibilities.
“I have to give credit to the teachers,” Bierwirth said. “When they saw the challenges, they understood what they had to do.”
At its March 24 meeting, the board approved a three-year extension of contracts for teachers aides and school monitors; secretaries, nurses and clerical staff, and custodians at 2.06 percent per year through 2015. The agreement calls for concessions from the groups, including six-months delay of a 1.6 percent salary increase in each of the three years. Those changes will save the district $234,000, according to Helen Costigan, the district’s assistant superintendent of business.
Bierwirth said the school district is also projected to save $53,000 next year from a voluntary modification of the Herricks Association of Administrative Supervisors contract, with that figure to be slightly higher in the succeeding two years.
Earlier in March, the board unanimously rejected a proposed revision of the teachers contract, included $750,000 in Herricks Teachers Association givebacks and an estimated $350,000 in savings from retirement incentives. The primary source of savings the teachers association proposed was a reduction in the 2.75 percent salary increase during then 2011-12 school year to 1.5 percent.
Board president Christine Turner said the proposal was contingent on the board guaranteeing all teaching jobs and extending the existing teachers’ contract by one year beyond 2013-14 with a 2.25 percent increase in addition to “step” increases mandated by state law.
Turner called the proposal “too little, too late.”
Bierwirth recently said the school board remains at a “stalemate” with the teachers.
“We have no discussions going on. I still have hope, but there are no meetings scheduled,” said Herricks Superintendent of Schools John Bierwirth.
In the race for seats on the school board, Turner is running unopposed on a ticket with Jonai Singh, co-president of the Herricks Council of PTAs. Singh is running against Gounaris for the seat currently held by Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar, who chose to not run due to conflicts with his mayoral duties.
Ehrbar encouraged Singh to run and endorsed her, saying she would be an “independent voice” for the school district.
Gounaris is a businessman who has been active in the PTAs and an executive board member of the Herricks Community Center.
Both candidates have received a steady stream of endorsements from parents and past and present office holders.
Voting will be at the Herricks Community Center from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 17.
