Go over pact, board urges

Raises are apparently not a sticking point in the
negotiations.

By JEANNE STARMACK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

AUSTINTOWN — The school board has decided on its next move in stalled contract negotiations with the district’s teachers.

It is inviting the union membership to an informational meeting to go over the terms of a tentative agreement that was voted down this week and to clear up any misconceptions about it, said schools Superintendent Doug Heuer Wednesday after an emergency school board meeting.

Heuer said one such rumor going around the community, that the board wants to eliminate art, music and physical education from the elementary school schedules, is “highly inaccurate.”

The Austintown Education Association has overwhelmingly rejected two proposals. The first was a “last-and-best offer” from the board Nov. 14. The 326-member union voted it down by a 75 percent majority.

The second proposal was the tentative agreement, signed by representatives from both bargaining teams. It was voted down Tuesday by 80 percent of the membership.

The union cited dissatisfaction with contract language regarding class scheduling as one reason why the pact was voted down.

Sandra DeCerbo, AEA president, also said after the Tuesday vote that she believes the vote was a reaction to verbal abuse toward teachers over the past few years from board president Michael Creatore.

Creatore, on the other hand, said he believes the union is biding its time, hoping to get a better deal when he leaves the board in January.

Raises are apparently not a sticking point. DeCerbo said the disagreement isn’t financial. The proposal offers a one percent raise in the first year and no raise in the second year of the contract. It also calls for an 8.5 percent pickup on the district’s health insurance premiums, Heuer said.

The board had called the Wednesday meeting to discuss its options after the negative vote on the tentative agreement.

Creatore has said he doesn’t foresee the board going back into negotiations.

The union hasn’t even taken a strike authorization vote, and a strike is not being discussed at this time, DeCerbo said.

Heuer said that after the informational meeting, set for 4:30 p.m. Monday at Fitch High School, the board is hoping the union will vote again on the proposal. Beyond that, he said, he won’t speculate whether the board will agree to future negotiations. He said the board will take it “one step at a time.”

Teachers in Austintown make a base salary of $29,151, DeCerbo said. There was no information available Wednesday night on what the highest paid teacher makes.

DeCerbo said that out of 14 school districts in Mahoning County, Austintown is ninth in terms of salaries. She said that in the second year of the new contract, with no raise, the district will be 11th.

starmack@vindy.com