Teachers Return Raise

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Teachers Association on Thursday night voted to return a 1 percent raise for fiscal 2012 as a sign of solidarity in support of a Proposition 2 1/2 override.

The raises negotiated with Mayor Richard Alcombright had come under fire as the administration has tried to drum up support for the $1.2 million override, designed to offset millions in losses in state aid over past few years.

Without the override, the mayor and school officials say the school system will lose teachers, programs and extracurricular activities on top of nearly $150,000 in cuts from this year. If cutbacks bring the school system below state-mandated foundation level, it could endanger some $14 million in Chapter 70 aid.

On Tuesday, more than a dozen educators, parents and students spoke in support of the override. There were fewer voices raised against the measure than at the first of six public sessions held last week at City Hall, when a capacity crowd called for cuts over spending, saying they had been taxed enough.

Thursday's vote by the union results in a savings of $80,000. The Department of Public Works union has also indicated it will return its one percent raise, more likely now that the teachers have voted. The total savings would be about $88,000. Alcombright said he has halted further negotiations on open contracts.

Below is the press release received on Thursday night from the Teachers Association President Susan Chilson.

On Thursday, June 2nd, 73 percent of the North Adams Public School teachers voted to give back their FY2012 raise. Despite the 1 percent raise promised for FY2012 in their contract agreement, teachers today took a stand to recognize the importance of funding the programming that has helped to make the North Adams Public Schools functional.

With recent budgetary cuts at the federal, state, and local level, if the override does not pass, the public schools stand to lose out on significant services including theatre, arts, music, honors and advanced place courses to name a few. The school sports funding is also on the chopping block, and without this funding students may have to pay as much as $150 to participate in team sports. In addition, funding for school adjustment counseling, career specialists, and special education services, are also at risk. Kindergarten will be reduced to half-day and there will be a fee for pre-K and kindergarten. Loss of teaching positions, the elimination of the Juvenile Resource Center (JRC), and the closure of the Community Transition Program at Johnson School will also increase the student-to-teacher ratio. The district will see class sizes increase. These potential cuts would be in addition to cuts already made. The district has already cut 8.5 teaching positions among others resulting in a proposed budget that is $147,000 less than the current budget despite the uncontrolled increases that the district has experienced such as energy costs.

"It's unfortunate that we're in this situation, but if we want to think long term about solutions for our community, we need to make the investment," one educator stated. "If you look at all the programs in our public schools that reflect state, regional, and even national recognition, it's quite simple: we vote from the heart, not our wallets."

North Adams teachers have taken the first step. By making this momentous decision, these educators are hopeful that other city employee organizations and local voters will follow suit. While the $80,000 represented by this 1 percent give back will not cover the $1.2 million deficit, a similar vote from other employees, combined with passing the Proposition 2 1/2 override may make the difference between stringent, across-the-board cuts to public education and city services to continuing the growth of success in North Adams Public Schools.