Mamaroneck Schools & Teachers Reach Tentative Agreement

by Judy Silberstein

(May 8, 2008) Negotiators for the Mamaroneck School district and the Mamaroneck Teachers Association (MTA) appear to have agreed on terms of a new contract, almost a year after the previous contract expired on June 30, 2007.

Neither side is discussing details, since there are a number of steps yet to go before the contract is finalized. A brief communiqué from Superintendent Paul Fried on Thursday, May 8 stated the district was “pleased to announce” the tentative agreement reached with the MTA the previous evening.

MTA President Anne Borsellino confirmed the news. She described the negotiations as going late into the evening and said, “I’m happy and I’m tired.” But she also stressed that “it’s still tentative – we haven’t signed on the dotted line."

The next step is for the lawyers to craft a final memorandum of agreement and to have the parties formally sign the agreement on Monday, May 12. The teachers will then hold a general assembly, on Monday, May 19, followed by a series of informational sessions at each school. These will culminate in a ratification vote by the teachers, probably on May 27. The Mamaroneck School Board must also vote to ratify the contract.

For the most part, negotiations between the union and the district have taken place behind the scenes. However, the teachers did organize a number of gatherings outside the Hommocks and the high school to demonstrate support for their negotiators and displeasure at having to work under an expired contract. At one point, the union and the district engaged in public relations battles in which each blamed the other for the pace of the negotiations. (See: Mamaroneck Teachers Working Without A Contract.)

Both sides agreed that the May 2007 budget defeat slowed things down. But they disagreed on the implications of the defeat, with the district noting the need for fiscal restraint and the teachers arguing that cost-cutting should not come mainly from their contract.

The main dispute, however, appeared to have been over time – what the teachers should spend their time doing and who (the teachers or the administrators) should have control over certain portions of the workday and workweek. (See: Cautious Optimism on Teacher Contract - Time is Sticking Point.)

With the parties not talking at this point, only time will tell how the issue was worked out.

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