Tamaques Class Size Debate Leads to Call to Reopen Teachers' Contract

member Mitch Slater used Tuesday evening's debate over large class sizes at to repeat his call to reopen the . 

Slater used comments at the end of the meeting to suggest renegotiating the contract, which is entering into its second year. The contract approved by the BOE and the Westfield Education Association in March 2010, includes a 3.9-percent annual raise for teachers, along with increased co-pays and health care givebacks from teachers to the school system.

“I would call for shared sacrifice in the last year of the contract,” Slater said Tuesday night.

Slater has an opponent of the contract and has called for renegotiating the pay raise. In his following his 2010 election, Slater called for renegotiating the contract, a move which WEA President Kim Schumacher . Shortly after Slater’s election, Schumacher would miss former BOE member Richard Solomon, who Slater defeated in the election.

Solomon has on the contract issue. Solomon was the most vocal defender of the contract following its 2010 approval, which was met with at board meetings following its approval.

Schumacher has opposed any effort to reopen the contract’s salary provisions, a move supported by a majority of the board. Slater for reopening the salary part earlier this year, when the board negotiated from the WEA relating to tuition reimbursement and morning duty stipends.

Schools Superintendent Margaret Dolan shot down Slater’s suggestion Tuesday evening, saying that the health care givebacks have been a boon to the district’s finances. School district administrators have touted since the beginning of the district’s budget process earlier this year that the health care givebacks have provided funds for the district for the current and future budgets.

During a budget related presentation earlier in Tuesday’s meeting, interim BOE Business Administrator Vincent Yaniro said the health care provisions helped fund the district’s new facilities program and capital reserve fund.

“A large amount of the money we have saved is due to the contract, in the health benefits,” Dolan said. “That has made a difference in our budget situation.”