School Board & Teachers Union Reach Agreement on 4-Year Contract

by Judy Silberstein

(July 2, 2003) Before adjourning for the summer, the Mamaroneck School Board met one more time on Tuesday, July 1 to elect its officers, take care of routine paperwork – and to announce the successful completion of contract negotiations with the Teachers’ Union. Negotiations have been going on quietly for months. Now all issues have been resolved, though details have not yet been released.

“We’re pleased that we’ve reached agreement with the Teachers’ Union and happy that this was accomplished before the end of the school year,” declared Board President Bob Martin.

Outgoing President of the Teachers’ Union Bob Ancowitz was similarly pleased. “I’m happy that my successor won’t have to begin the school year negotiating a contract,” he said.

Ancowitz retired this June, after 8 years as union head and 34 years as a Mamaroneck teacher at Central and Hommocks. His successor is long-term high school English teacher John Esposito.

The new contract is for four years (one year longer than the last contract) and calls for raises in each year: 3% in the first year, 3.2% for the next two years, and 3.4% for the last year. The teachers’ calendar will be expanded by two days for professional development. Most other changes were minor, according to Ancowitz.

“My impression is that neither side got everything they wanted, which is probably a sign of a successful negotiation,” he concluded.

The School Board reelected Martin as President and elected Celia Felsher as Vice-President and Alan Parter as Secretary for the coming year.

The Board was also pleased at Superintendent Sherry King’s report on the “extraordinary” results of the Earth Science and Biology Regents exams. Almost every student in eighth grade took the high school level earth science course and almost every student passed the test. The same was true with ninth graders and biology. (See: Mamaroneck Students Succeed in Accelerated Science)