The Sewanhaka Central High School District’s Board of Education officially adopted the 2011-12 budget of $162.2 million at a regular meeting Tuesday.
But there was one resident who questioned the lack of transparency on the part of the board of education, when it came to relaying information to the public about the contract negotiations.
Procacci said the results of the contract negotiations for all 12 of the bargaining units should have been put in the Scoop.
“Why wasn’t the contract extensions mentioned in the Sewanhaka Scoop,” Felix Procacci said. “Shouldn’t we have known the details if we’re going to vote on a school budget?”
The Sewanhaka Scoop is a newsletter put out by the school district informing residents on different school related issues going on within the district.
“It’s important to let residents know when they face choices,” Procacci said.
Sewanhaka Superintendent of Schools Warren Meierdiercks said the contract extension details had been discussed in budget meetings and stated in local papers.
“We don’t put all the information in the scoop for all 12 bargaining units,” Meierdiercks said. “We also don’t discuss ongoing contract negotiations to the public.”
Procacci said he wants the information more available when the contracts are done and open.
“I don’t want to have to spend hours trying to FOIL this information, Procacci said. “I’m sure you can fit the 12 bargaining units in the newsletter.”
School board vice president David T. Fowler said that the board has never included that information before in the Sewanhaka Scoop.
“Felix, we hear you,” Fowler said. “We know you’ve been to a lot of meetings, your comment was heard and we are taking it under consideration.”
The Sewanhaka Federation of Teachers agreed to forego a 2.9 percent salary increase in the last year of a three-year deal. According to Meierdiercks, the teachers agreed to a contract extension which will keep the zero percent wage increase in the first year, but will increase by 1.25 percent for two consecutive years following the 2011-12 school years.
