Back to School in Yonkers: Is There Any Hope Left?

YFT President Pat Puleo at a rally this summer at City Hall

Throughout our country, state, county and right here in Yonkers, local unions have been agreeing to concessions to save their members’ jobs. In Yonkers, nearly all city unions have agreed to some form of wage or benefit give-back to help the city close its multi-million dollar budget gap with as few pink slips as possible. The current question; why hasn’t the Yonkers Federation of Teachers (YFT) conceded to save members’ jobs?

Over the past three months, Yonkers Rising has conducted interviews with stakeholders, viewed Board of Education meetings and FOIL requested records in an attempt to give our readers and the people of Yonkers an inside perspective into what has transpired.

Negotiations and Concessions

In May, Yonkers Public Schools (YPS) Superintendent Bernard P. Pierorazio and the Yonkers Board of Education were faced with a $42 million budget gap and forced to lay off 708 employees — 18 administrators, 322 teachers and 368 civil service employees. The Board of Trustees and YPS leaders met with union leaders to discuss strategies and give-backs that could translate into positions saved.

The Yonkers Council of Administrators (YCA) and Civil Service Employee Association (CSEA) voted to accept a one-year wage freeze. Because of this, the Board of Education passed a resolution at the end of June to rescind 367 lay-offs, including 17 administrators and 350 Civil Service employees. The YFT, in June, voted against a one-year wage freeze.

The YPS, in fact, received concessions from all of its employees except the Yonkers Federation of Teachers:

Superintendent of Schools, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Academic Office — In addition to freezing their salaries for the 2011-12 school year, each has given up 10 days of compensation;

Central Office (unaffiliated staff) — A salary freeze has been in effect since 2008. There are no raises or longevity increases for 2011-12;

YCA — Voted to accept a one-year salary freeze, including no steps and/or longevity increases; and

CSEA — Voted to accept a one-year salary freeze, including no steps and/or longevity increases.

Concessions Proposed by the Board to the YFT

Similar to the concessions accepted by the CSEA and YCA, the board initially proposed a one-year wage freeze to the leadership of the YFT. The one-year freeze would have generated $4.4 million. The union rejected the proposal.

Due to the YFT’s refusal to accept a one-year freeze, a Transitional Finance Authority (TFA), proposed by Mayor Phil Amicone, was never created. The TFA would have brought $20 million to the YPS, but it was predicated on the commitment that all three unions freeze their wages for one year.

During two lengthy phone interviews over the summer, YFT President Pat Puleo said that one of the reasons members voted against the give back was that, “there was no guarantee that all teachers would be rehired.” Pierorazio countered that the district’s largest expense is its teaching force, and to reinstate 322 teachers would cost more than $30 million — exceeding the $24 million potential from a YFT freeze and TFA funding.

Pierorazio said that he had explained to YFT leaders that the board would be able to restore 70 to 75 percent of the laid-off teaching positions — approximately 240 — with YFT cooperation. “We absolutely shared this information with the YFT leadership,” said Pierorazio. “Whether or not they shared it with their members, I cannot say.”

New Offers Made by the YPS

Yonkers Rising has discovered that, since the initial proposal, the Board of Education has offered these other one-year recommendations that could save jobs:

Teachers would receive their step increases but accept a deferral of 10 days pay that would generate $10 million, equal to 100 to 120 positions — YFT refused;

Teachers, rather than the YPS, would contribute to the Teachers Welfare Fund. This would amount to a $79.83 per month payment per member and would generate $4 million, approximately 40 to 50 positions — YFT refused;

Allow YPS to apply Teacher Support Aid to the general budget rather than make cash payments that are in addition to teachers’ salaries. This would generate $1.2 million, or 10 to 12 positions — YFT has yet to respond to this offer.

The “Supposed” YFT Concession of $3.5 Million

Puleo told Yonkers Rising that the YFT had, in fact, already made concessions and pointed to a $3.5 million give-back to the school district involving a time change to the start and end of the school day for three schools.

The $3.5 million in savings, however, is derived from cuts in transportation costs, not a reduction in teachers’ wages. Three schools’ start times were changed from 8:35 to 7:35 a.m. and their dismissal times from 3:15 to 2:15 p.m. The adjustment affords buses the opportunity to transport for two school buildings that have different start and dismissal times. This decreases the total number of buses needed and generates the $3.5 million savings.

This was a decision already made by the YPS, which said it requested the YFT sign off on it as a courtesy, rather than going through a decision and grievance process. While the YFT has taken credit for this administrative efficiency, not one dollar in YFT concessions came from this decision.

What is a “Step”?

A “step” is an annual wage increase for the first 14 years of a teachers’ employment and is given independent of, and in addition to, an annual contractual salary increase. For instance, in the 2007-2011 contract, teachers received an annual contractual salary increase of approximately three percent plus an additional three to eight percent step increase for qualifying teachers.

The YFT (and most city unions) are currently working without a contract. However, while YFT members receive no contractual salary increase, members still receive step increases every year until they reach the top tier.

Arbitration Between YFT and YPS

The YFT claimed that, in 2008, they negotiated a “double step” in addition to the three precent contractual salary increase. That year, the district redefined the Step Schedule Grid, removing the first step and sliding the salary schedule down. The YPS argued that, by doing this, the financial equivalent of one step automatically came to the teacher, who had received the financial equivalent of a step increase while remaining on the same step. The discrepancy was the basis for the arbitration.

The arbitration was found in favor of the YFT, causing the district to compensate teachers for back pay and give the additional step — to the tune of $14.4 million.

The Table below shows salaries of a dozen actual teachers selected at random, whose names were removed to protect their privacy. It demonstrates the effect of sliding the scheduled step down (the “Grid Shift”); teachers remained on the same step but received substantial salary increases.

Puleo and the YFT have referred to the school district’s position as a “freeze.” We will let our readers form their own opinion.

Through arbitration, the Board negotiated a “step arbitration” settlement to occur in February rather than September, saving the YPS $2.2 million this school year, but costing it $4.4 million in July, 2012. Therefore, every eligible teacher will receive a salary step increase this September 1 and an additional step increase on February 1, 2012.

The so-called “freeze” will pay YFT members a step and a half this school year and pay out an extra $10 million (above and beyond any future contractual steps) to teachers impacted by the arbitration over the following four years.

Has the YFT Taken a Freeze in the Last 5 Years?

Puleo stated that, in the 2009-10 school year, YFT members took a wage freeze. But, in fact, YFT members received a three percent raise and the equivalent of a step increase. We will let our readers decide if this is a freeze. (see Table 1)

Table 1

Who Is Left to Educate Our Children?

Since June, 81 teachers have been rehired due to reinstatement of full day kindergarten and half-day pre-kindergarten and the opening of a new pre-K to 8 school, the Thomas Cornell Academy, which addresses the district’s growing enrollment. Yet, as nearly 27,000 students in the YPS prepare to go back to school next week, 241 teachers are still without a job.

Last year, the YPS had to make a similar round of painful budget cuts. In fact, within a two year period, YPS has closed 386 teaching positions. This is a recipe for disaster, and with just days left before September 6 — the first day of school — many parents and YPS staff are wondering — will more teachers’ positions be saved? And what will happen if they aren’t?

Lay-offs have a trickle-down effect. Results from the New York State 2011 ELA and Math assessments show a slight decline in YPS students scoring At/Above Proficiency when compared to 2010. The district averaged 37.8 percent At/Above Proficiency in ELA (1.4 percent decline) and 40.4 percent At/Above Proficiency in Math (1.1 percent decline).

Positions cut translate into teacher reassignments, which shift teachers, based on tenure and seniority, to different buildings and grade levels. This mobility impacts classroom instruction. The less continuity of instruction within a classroom, the more difficult it is to realize an improvement in student performance.

No Miracle Funds for 2011-12

In years past, politicians would frequently deliver a last minute infusion of state funds to help save jobs in the YPS. This year, some speculate whether this could happen again. But the funds that were available in the 1990s are no longer available in Albany. It’s possible that the YFT voted against a freeze because it was counting on these last-minute funds, which may not come.

With school starting next Tuesday, has the time for a miracle passed us by?