News

Teachers protest lack of contract
By Elizabeth Prata

Gray--Protesting a lack of a contract after eight months of negotiations, Gray-New Gloucester teachers, waving picket signs and encouraging cars and trucks to honk, lined Shaker Road shoulder to shoulder in front of the Superintendent's Office Tuesday.

Right, High School teacher Shelly Landry hopes that the grinch will not steal their Christmas contract. The Monument: Prata photo

Gray-New Gloucester High School teacher Michelle Adler is the lead negotiator for the MSAD 15 Teachers bargaining unit. She said that at issue is language that would delete teacher planning and preparation time, and language that would specify equalized work loads in the same building.

"They want to significantly reduce language around that," said Ms. Adler. "It's no secret that teachers nationally are crying about a lack of preparation time. The No Child Left Behind act and other federal initiatives all have significant work load consequences. We are professionals putting everything into our jobs." She said that the one class per day devoted to planning allows teachers to address the new federally mandated responsibilities as well as maintain attention to current and local teaching responsibilities. "The Administration wants to delete it totally."

Ms. Adler said that the picket, the teachers' third so far, was designed to make people aware that teachers have been working since September 1 without a contract. Left, Teachers line Shaker Rd. Ms Adler is at far left. The Monument: Prata photo

Business Manager Terry Towle is on the SAD 15 Administration negotiating team as an advisor. Also on the team is the personnel Committee, a sub-committee of the Board of Directors, (Chair Alan Rich, Jim Hutchinson, Tami Plummer, Dawn Bailey) and Superintendent Victoria Burns is on the team too. Mr. Towle said that his role is advisor to the processes that should be used during negotiations.

Asked how negotiations are going, he said, "Pretty good until the Teachers filed for mediation." There have been two mediation sessions, at which legal representation from the Administrative side attended one meeting but not both. Mr. Towle said that mediation is a process in which the State appoints a mediator to work through the sticky issues hanging up the negotiations. "The mediator works with both groups," he said. Mr. Towle said that there are three open articles left to resolve, one involving payroll and salary procedures, and it is this one that involves work day and prep times.

A second article left open is duration of contract and the third, a new one the teachers have asked for he said, involves with health and safety. He would not offer any details, citing confidentiality of the negotiations process. Right, cars honk in support of the picketers. The Monument: Prata photo

If the picket doesn't loosen the sticking points, as Ms. Adler hopes, the two sides will go to fact finding on December 8. Ms. Adler hoped that the picket would enlighten the public on the importance of the issues and that the fact finding procedure would not be necessary.