[A]fter being approached by the Parents and Teachers Organization and other community members, the Burlington School Board has agreed to come back to the table to discuss the contract terms it has imposed in the absence of a new labor pact.
The move is not without caveats, though, including an unwillingness by the board to deficit spend or cut the budget.
That didn’t sit well with the teachers union.
Some teachers have said they would rather set a higher cap on their tuition reimbursement benefit and have less salary, while others have indicated they would be open to paying a higher contribution for their health care and maintain a higher salary, according to Burlington School Board Chair Mark Porter.
“We are willing to participate in these types of conversations,” Porter said.
Negotiations had failed to produce an agreement on a new contract, and the board this month exercised its right to impose working conditions.
The Burlington Education Association responded guardedly to the board’s willingness to reopen talks.
“We are pleased that the board indicated a willingness to resume talks with Burlington’s teachers. But it is quite unfortunate that they put conditions on those talks. A negotiation with conditions is not a true negotiation,” Fran Brock, BEA president, said in a news release.
It is unclear if the union and board will actually sit down together.
“If the board’s invitation to resume talks is sincere — and that means removing the imposition and entering into meaningful talks with us — we welcome the chance to sit down. But if the board’s chairman puts preconditions on the invitation to talk, we can only conclude that this is more about optics and bargaining by press release than on truly reaching a negotiated contract settlement,” Brock said.
Tuesday afternoon teachers and community members picketed in an effort to draw attention to their efforts to have the imposition replaced with a contract. They also said they want the school board to be transparent about spending, according to the Burlington Education Association website. Another picket is planned for Thursday.
At Tuesday night’s board meeting, nine representatives from PTO communities approached the school board with a petition asking the board and union to return to the negotiations to avoid a strike.
“We, representatives of PTO communities throughout the city of Burlington, believe that both the BSD Commissioners and the BEA share the same ultimate goal, to serve the community and to provide for the children and families of this school district,” the petition read. “We believe that, keeping this aspiration in mind, together you will be able to come to a resolution. We urge you both to return to the table and reopen negotiations for the 2016-17 school year as soon as possible.”
The two parties have agreed to have Ira Lobel mediate their next round of conversations, according to a school board news release. The board said it will return to talk if the mediator believes progress can be made. But board members reiterated their position that “all available funding” has been committed in the employment policy they imposed on teachers.
Both the board and the BEA want teachers to have fair wages that are comparable with neighboring districts, according to Porter.
“Both parties are also committed to making decisions that are in the best interest of Burlington’s children for this year and beyond. The board looks forward to building on these shared goals and finding common ground,” he added.
Last week, the board contacted the BEA in the hope of starting negotiations for the next contract.
