After months of discussion, no agreement
May 13, 2011
Despite months of dialog and a number of back-and-forth offers, in the
end there will be no changes to the Mayfield Central School District’s
teachers' contract for 2011-12.
“We’re obviously very disappointed by this outcome,” said Superintendent
Paul Williamsen.
“Both our Board of Education and the Mayfield Teachers Association were
willing to offer concessions that would have reduced costs while
preserving programs and staffing. But when each side made their last
proposals, they failed to reach agreement over health-insurance plans.”
This stalemate means the district will proceed with the existing
teachers' contract for 2011-12, with no changes. “It will be the last
year of the existing five-year contract,” Williamsen said, “so
negotiations will begin in the fall for a new contract period.”
In January, the Mayfield Board of Education asked the district’s
teachers to consider a pay freeze in 2011-12 in an effort to reduce
costs and maintain programs, in light of reduced state funding for the
coming school year and the uncertainty that Mayfield would ever receive
back taxes owed to it by the Hudson River-Black River Regulating
District. The teachers voted to reject the District’s proposal.
On April 4, the teachers offered a reduction in their 2011-12 salaries
in exchange for a two year contract extension and a new health-insurance
plan called PPO-H. However, the Fulmont Health Trust – which manages the
health insurance plans for Mayfield, Johnstown, Gloversville, Amsterdam,
Broadalbin-Perth and Wells schools – had previously rejected by
unanimous vote, a “joint” request to offer the PPO-H plan. Thus, the
PPO-H does not yet exist and is not available for any school district
that participates in the trust, including Mayfield.
On April 26, the MTA offered to accept a salary freeze for 2011-12 and a
one-year contract extension with a 3 percent salary increase in 2012-13.
The board accepted those two proposals, but added a third which would
allow the district to offer another choice of health insurance plan
(called PPO-B), in addition to the current PPO-A plan. The PPO-B plan is
currently offered through the Fulmont Health Trust to every
participating district, and beginning July 1, Mayfield is offering it to
its retirees, and all staff except teachers. The teachers union rejected
the District’s request to offer this second option to the MTA members.
The district attempted to offer a counter proposal on May 11; however,
the MTA said they were no longer accepting proposals.
Since no agreement on changes was reached, the current teacher’s
contract will run as is, and the two parties will resume contract
negotiations in the fall.