Herricks teachers stalemate continues; BOCES OK’d

Brittany Wait

The Herricks Board of Education and the Herricks Teachers Association remained in a stalemate last week as the board gave its approval to the proposed 2011-2012 budget for Nassau County’s Boards of Cooperative Educational Services.

The county BOCES, which provides educational and purchasing services to school districts, requested school boards to approve $18,947,178 budget for 2011-12 – an increase of 2.8 percent over the current BOCES budget. The billing rate, which is what BOCES will charge district for administrative costs, will decrease by 1.67 percent.

All Nassau County school districts vote on the proposed county budget for the state-mandated BOCES program each year.

Meanwhile, Herricks Superintendent of Schools John Bierwirth said the district had not made progress in talks with district teachers and teaching aids – a topic that was not addressed at the school board’s meeting last week.

“I think that people recognize that for the moment, as frustrated as some people are, it’s not worth discussing at board meetings,” Bierwirth said.

The Herricks Teacher’s Association and the school board had reached agreements on amended salary terms for three association contracts, but not teachers.

The teachers association had proposed a salary decrease for next year and had sought assurance that no positions would be eliminated. The board said the proposal was unacceptable because it add more than $4 million in jobs and left intact salary increases of 4.8 percent in 2012-13 and 4.8 percent in 2013-14.

The board said that without concessions from teachers the district will cutting 35 teaching positions among the 62.8 positions to be eliminated district-wide. The other positions included administrators, secretaries, custodians, aids/monitors.

Bierwirth recommended that the board eliminate positions in teaching tenure areas including elementary education, English, ESL, health, mathematics, music, physical education, science, social studies, speech, special education, foreign language and reading.

Bierwirth said he has received e-mails and letters from community members concerned with the loss of jobs in the district. He said he tells them that New York State law – not the school board – determines who must go.

The board cited rising pension and health care costs, and reduced state aid in presenting the cuts in its proposed $98,997,770 million budget for 2011-12, a 2.55 percent year-to-year increase,

The board has budgeted unemployment costs for 90 percent of the people it expects will be laid off, Bierwirth said.

“So, if we end up with more retirements and fewer people collecting unemployment, then we’re in good shape,” Bierwirth said. “A lot of dust needs to settle before we know where we are.”

There are currently no further talks scheduled between the school board and the HTA.

Maryann Karbiner, a typist clerk in the library for the community center for 31 years, is one of three staff members planning to retire at the end of this school year.

Bierwirth said that he has already received 10 applications for retirement incentives. The district has not offered the opportunity for early retirement incentives in a long time, but school board has already received 10 applications. The deadline to return the applications to Bierwirth is Monday, May 2.

At the May 17 annual election, voters will cast ballots and for either Jonai Singh, co-president of Herricks School District PTA Council, or Jim Gounaris, a businessman from Manhasset Hills, for the board seat being vacated by Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar, who elected to not run. Board president Christine Turner is running unopposed for re-election.

The board will hold it final public budget hearing on May 5 at 7:15 p.m. in the Herricks Community Center.

Budget and school board voting will be held at the community center on May 17 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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