Superhero teachers point to villains in city
We are teachers, and we serve on the Executive Board of the Stamford Education Association which represents the 1,493 Stamford Public Schools (SPS) teachers. We are writing because we are disturbed by the recent events surrounding the Board of Education’s (BOE) 2020-2021 budget and the inaccurate portrayal of teachers and the association’s position.
Every day Stamford’s teachers professionally and passionately educate Stamford’s students. Most days, they work well beyond their contractual day to, among other things, plan lessons, grade student work, communicate with parents, provide additional support to students in need, and collaborate with colleagues. All of this work is done without additional compensation, because teachers care about the Stamford students, families, and communities they serve.
During this global pandemic, teachers have worked tirelessly to ensure the continuity of education and the social and emotional well-being of their students and their students’ families. They switched, overnight, from classroom instruction to distance teaching and learning. They did so with little notice, preparation, or training from the district. Teachers are using their own phones, computers, internet service, and self-created educational materials for distance learning. They have purchased materials and supplies, including high speed internet service and more sophisticated devices, to deliver instruction to meet the various needs of their students. Many took it upon themselves to drop off food, clothing, and educational materials to their students’ homes and even provided financial support in the form of gift cards and money to subsidize rent and utilities payments. One teacher even brought the newborn brother of one of her students into her home after his birth, because her student and his parents were suffering from COVID-19, all the while engaging in distance teaching and learning. While the newborn eventually went home after six weeks, the teacher continues to provide emotional, financial, and medical support to the family. Who did the parents know they could call upon in their time of need? Of course, a teacher!
Teachers should be heralded for their herculean efforts and their compassion during this global health crisis. Instead, they have been called “greedy” for insisting that the Board of Finance (BOF) and Board of Representatives (BOR) approve the BOE’s budget that adequately funds the schools and honors the SEA contract. Unfortunately, after numerous meetings at which teachers spoke of the importance of their positions and finding alternative means to fund the BOE budget, the BOF and the BOR decided to pass a budget that does not adequately fund SPS. Rather, the budget assumes what was initially presented to the SEA by the BOE and Superintendent Tamu Lucero: a two-year salary freeze, plus an additional $4 million in salary reductions or a 10 percent increase in the teacher premium cost share for health insurance with no guarantee that layoffs would not occur. Then four weeks later, the Superintendent asked all the unions for a one-year salary freeze with a guarantee of no layoffs. We were not provided an explanation as to how the one year freeze alone would save all jobs and were concerned that it would not.
We believe the BOF’s and BOR’s actions are irresponsible and detrimental to Stamford.
Stamford’s teachers have been financially and significantly contributing over the years and in recent years have agreed to salary freezes (which is no step movement, no lane movement for higher degrees/credits, and no general wage increase) and two years of step reductions for those not on the maximum step. Also, during recent negotiations, the severance and early retirement incentive benefits were eliminated, and the number of days teachers may use from the SEA sick leave bank during their career with SPS was reduced. Furthermore, teachers switched to the State Partnership health insurance plan in 2018, saving the district millions of dollars.
The SEA’s current contract was bargained in good faith and approved by the BOE, BOF, and the BOR. The BOE’s failure to advocate for the passage of its 2020-2021 budget is a grave disappointment, as is the BOF’s and BOR’s approval of a BOE budget that does not adequately fund the schools and assumes salary freezes plus additional reductions. Moreover, comments made by city officials during the budget discussions intimating that teachers are selfish and/or overpaid serve to demoralize the teacher workforce, especially in light of the many concessions teachers have already made and the outstanding work they do each and every day to educate, support, and devote themselves to Stamford’s students and families during regular times and, especially, during this unprecedented global health crisis.