Mediator sought for ‘stalled’ Herricks talks

Richard Tedesco

A mediator has been sought to help Herricks school board trustees and teaching assistants reach a settlement in “stalled” contract negotiations, Herricks Board of Education President Jim Gounaris said last Thursday.

“We are tackling difficult issues, some of which have significant financial ramifications. While we are making progress in our discussions with the teachers, our talks with the teaching assistants have stalled and the parties and we have declared an impasse,” Gounaris said in a statement he read at a regularly scheduled board meeting.

Gounaris said the mediator, who is to be appointed by the New York State Public Employment Relations Board,  will not have the authority to impose a contract settlement. 

The board and the central administration, he said, remain committed to “a fair contract, respecting both the employees and the taxpayers.”

And both the school board and the teaching assistants unit “have indicated their willingness to continue talking through the mediation process,” Gounaris added.

Herricks Teachers Association President Nidya Degliomini, who represents Herricks teachers and teaching assistants, expressed optimism when asked about the board’s talks with the two bargaining units.

 “As long as we’re still talking, we’re still hopeful,” Degliomini said.

Gounaris said following the meeting that the board and the teaching assistants had “philosophical differences on a number of items.” 

Gounaris and board Trustee Christine Turner are representing the board in the contract negotiations. 

The Herricks teachers and 63 teaching assistants are currently in the final year of a five-year contract that provides for 3 percent salary increases for the 2013-14 year.

At the outset of Thursday’s meeting, Gounaris acknowledged 32 retiring employees, including 17 faculty members, for their service to the school district.

“They’re part of the best of what Herricks is. Words are never enough to express how appreciative we are for what you’ve done,” Gounaris said. “You’ve all touched all of us in a variety of ways.

He said the retiring teachers collectively represented 280 years of experience in the Herricks School District.

Herricks Superintendent of Schools John Bierwirth said after the meeting that most of the positions have already been filled. 

Among those hired will be some of the 63 teachers the district was forced to lay off over the last three years in meeting the state-mandated tax cap.

“In a fair number of positions, we’ll be hiring people who were excessed,” Bierwirth said.

Board Trustee Brian Hassan said the district is obliged to offer open teaching positions to those people who were laid off from their district jobs. He said rehired teachers would be paid the same salary level at which they were previously employed.

“We’ll be able to pull some back,” Degliomini said.

Degliomini said the “uncertainty” of the outcome of current contract negotiations between the school board and the teachers association contributed to the decisions some teachers made to retire this year.

“A lot of them were eligible for retirement. But without a doubt the fact we’re in negotiations was a factor,” Degliomini said.

In other developments:

• The board approved a contract for $23,500 to Woodbury-based District Wise Search Consultants to assist the board in finding a new superintendent, assistant superintendent for instruction and high school principal for the district.

Bierwirth and Herricks High School principal Jane Modoono are planning to retire in June 2015. 

Herricks Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Deirdre Hayes plans to retire at the end of December this year.

“We selected them because we felt they had a good feel for the community,” Gounaris said.

Gounaris said information would be posted on the district web site to inform residents on how they can contribute input to the job search.

“We’re looking forward to meeting the community and getting everybody’s input. We know we have very big shoes to fill,” Robert Freier, District Wise partner, said at the meeting. 

Freier is a former member of the East Williston Board of Education.

• The board approved the issuance of serial bonds not to exceed $3.5 million for capital improvements at district schools. The $3.5 million bond was approved by voters in the May 20 school board election. 

The bond will cover heating system upgrades at the Herricks Middle School roof for $3.1 million, reconstruction or replacement of the middle school roof for approximately $180,000 and window replacements at the Herricks High School for $220,000.

• The board acknowledged high school students Samuel Oh, Dana Curtin, Akshay Ramakrishnan and Brandon Yu for their service as students representatives on the school board this year. 

• The board accepted a $13,000 donation from the Denton Avenue School PTA for 12 Apple iPads, a principal book of the month program and chess/game boards.

• Hayes announced that Herricks High School senior Sabreen Bhuiya took first place and a $1,000 prize in the annual Theodore Roosevelt Oratory Competition sponsored by the Friends of Sagamore Hill. 

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