From what I understand the town is likely to loose in court anyway so why not pay the steps and nothing else? If we loose in court its logical the teachers are going to then increase their demands as they will no longer need to negotiate for the steps...I think this School Committee negotiating team is leading the town and the wonderful schools right off the end of a cliff!

Hard to comment without knowing the details of the hold-outs. Perhaps Keele is onto something--publicizing the details. I could more appropriately support the teachers if I knew what I was fighting for. Our two years in town schools have been great. We love our teachers and want Westford to continue with their superior education system. Let's get this done!

Yes, publicize the details. How can anyone support an agenda they know nothing or very little about. It is difficult to support any increase compensation. Since 2008 many local businesses have had a 15-30% decrease in revenues. Those empolyeed have stayed at the same salary or have taken a cut in pay or are working more hours without compensation. The depression/recession is still alive.

Too bad teachers do not respect where their paychecks come from ( the TAXPAYERS) . I wish I could fire them all since they do not appreciate and respect where their paycheck comes from. Never mind if they win at the labor board they are just sending their co-workers away without a job. But remember you all stand UNITED. Keep holding those signs up. What a joke! There are soooo many new, young college grads that would be pretty appreciative to be teaching in Westford or any other town for that matter. I bet all those teachers would be easy to replace...

I am uncomfortable with the possible motion that these Contract Negotiations would not be private. But on the other hand, I am curious to know what all the 22 items are and why both sides have only agreed on 11 out of the 22 items. The WEA representative, McCusker, says that they are "fairly non-controversial topics", but if that is the case than why haven't they been settled on?

Also why does the School Committee have to give "clarifying statements" regarding the "non-budgetary offers"? I know that it is hard to hear the words: "no, no, no", but it is a word not used enough now adays and there doesn't have to be any reasoning behind it (unless of course you plan on arguing and countering the responses of "no, no, no" and then pitching a fit?)

Why does the WEA have 14 Steps? Couldn't we negotiate these Steps down to 5 Steps (like all the other Unions) and save money and make the Contract Negotiations simpler? Then we would need to have a Mediator get involved either!

Finally, the "reopening clause" shouldn't be invoked and should be left along (its the third rail and we don't want to touch it)!

I believe Jodi Ross and Mr. Olson each received increase in pay. So Its difficult when the Chiefs are getting their wallets padded when the Indians, school teachers, are asked to take a nada, 0 % raise. The teachers are on the front lines everyday with the children and why the school system is highly rated. The contract with other town unions to take 1 year no-pay with an out clause is a gamble since the hope all 5 unions would agree. Unfortunatley for Harkness/Ross/Olson the teachers have not gone along and subsequently antagonizing them(teachers). Now the school committee is taking another gamble and go in front of the Mass Labor Board and plead their case why they have been negotiating in good faith. Good Luck on that one. Its time for the Westford citizens to vote on the contract. Keele & Harkness need to step aside.
Bob Pellegrino
65 Russell's Way

I have two children in the school system. I'd love to learn the details of the negotiation, but failing that I have to say that I think teachers in general are underpaid for the work they do, and the teachers in Westford deserve whatever they are asking for. I'd be willing to pay more in taxes to support our outstanding schools.

Christine Flood
13 Main Street

Once, again, I'd like to see real numbers, not emotional outbursts about the nice teachers "deserving" more. How about the teacher/student ratio compared to the BoS goal, the average number of applicants per teacher opening in Westford, ratio of non teaching staff to real teaching staff and teacher attrition rate compared to other towns. Let's not lobby to toss money at a problem that may not exist!

I agree new teachers do not get paid enough for the work that they do. I've witnessed it myself. But I would argue that they should not be entitled to automatic raises just because they are alive. Merit, fine. Automatic, NO!

But, all that is not the point. The point is there is no money to spend on automatic raises, and every other union recognizes that fact. If you have a problem with Mr. Olsen's raise or Ms Ross' raise, bring it up to the BoS and school committee but it ain't gonna affect teachers step raises.

The same School Committee that exercised the 'option' in Bill Olsen's contract to award $2,000 bonus is the same one that cries 'Broke, No Money' when it negotiates with its teachers. Take it up with them? No, I dont think so. we need to clean house starting with the chair. The schools are a MESS right now and I blame 'top leadership'.

How are they a mess? Can't attract good teachers? Can't keep the best ones?
Are the teachers letting their contract issues interfere with the kids educational experience?
By the way, $2K won't make a difference in the budget, will it? Did he make or exceed all of his measurements?
Let's have some facts, not broad, meaningless statements.

Both sides need to stop digging their soles into the dirt and truly begin to negotiate !!! That means entering into a mutual and open discussion and compromising to achieve some results. All of this is starting to affect our students in a negative way. Get the job done now or bring in some skilled negotiators to arbitrate. The length of time this is taking and the lack of forward progress is ridiculous....

I dont feel I can support either side until the facts are presented. There should be a public forum where both sides present their facts and actual numbers. Since the school committee feels they are representing what is best for the town then the town should be able to hear the negotiations for themselves. As for the teachers, they are being very vague about their position so it is hard to know where they are coming from except asking for better raises than any other town employee received. It is time to lay this all on the table for the taxpayers in Westford because at this point it is hard to know what to comment on.

If you look at per capita spending http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/ppx.aspx and objective test scores http://www.boston.com/news/special/education/mcas/scores11/10th_top_districts.htm you will see that our school system does a very good job with the limited resources it has. Our per capita spending is one of the lowest in the area. We have good people and they work hard. We need to figure out a way to pay them what they deserve.

One thing I want to add here to the discussion is that my understanding from the School Committee meeting last night is that there is not animosity between the two sides, just a difference of opinion. Statements were made to that end during the meeting, which is available for viewing on Westford CAT.

That's my interpretation of what I saw, but I wanted to add that here, and I wanted to apologize for not adding that information inside the story.

I am required by my position to remain objective and neutral in this issue, but I wanted to say something here as I also want this discussion to remain as civil as possible, and I wanted to note that if things get too out of control at any point, I'll close discussion.

"understanding from the School Committee meeting last night is that there is not animosity between the two sides, "

REALLY? WOW..............Thats hard to believe from what I have heard but ok then...

Had the town just been reasonable and said there is not $$$ for a COLA adjustment and offed a couple less days (from PD days) and an extra personal day or two in its place this would be over.
To take away teacher steps which 99% of the time are a 'given' across the Commonwealth of MA and the US (Yes, even in these financial times) is why we are at a stalemate. Teachers ARE understanding about the town's finances BUT taking away steps is just about unheard of in the eduction world (Ask teachers you know in other places). People can talk about no raises in the private sector but one of the unwritten rules of teacher contracts is steps are a given. Give the teachers their steps, be creative about not being able to give a COLA and this ends quickly. 99% of the time steps are honored, Lunenburg recently tried to withhold them and Lunenburg lost in court for not paying steps, Westford will loose too because this is SOP in education which I understand doesnt always equate to practice in the private sector. In 1999 when teachers came back in the fall to no contract steps were paid. The Court will use this to establish past practice (and deem this School Committee broke that here) and thus did NOT negotiate in good faith.
If the town is so shabby financially that it really CANT pay steps, then teachers indefinitely working to rule is just the tip of the iceberg of troubles to come for this town!

Agreed, this doesnt tell the entire story BUT it is not insignificant or irrelevant and DOES tell part of the story:

How Westford compares

Average teaching salaries based on the total teaching salaries, divided by the number of full-time equivalent teachers. Data is for 2009-10, which is the most recent report available.

WESTFORD $66,231

GROTON-DUNSTABLE $67,255

LITTLETON $71,430

HARVARD $73,964

ACTON- BOXBOROUGH $75,454

ACTON $76,371

BOXBOROUGH $76,520

CONCORD $81,598

Source: 2009-10 teacher salaries report, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Our real estate agents use test scores to show we are a comparable district, our Superintendent and Administrators believe we are an 'elite' public school system, I think we are just as good as other DCL schools, it doesnt seem like our teachers asking to stay even in regard to pay is unreasonable.

You are working in Westford, not Acton and not Concord. Can we please stop comparing what is happening in other towns. Each town is completely unique. If engineers at HP get paid more than engineers at Red Hat, it is quite simple, the engineers have a choice. If during his or her negotiations, the Red Hat engineer brings up the fact that engineers at HP make more guess what you will most likely get? (see finger pointed at door). Lets deal with what is happening in Westford. Vincent's assement is right on.

Sorry "assessment" for the spell check police.

Folks check this out in Lowell Sun. Description of steps and COLA.

http://www.lowellsun.com/letters/ci_19968813
Bob Pellegrino

I would assume that when a teacher leaves Westford, the adminsitration has a hard time shifting through at least 200-300 resumes for the job opening. Being with 10-12% is not this outrageous difference. I also assuming that based on our current pay scale that we have been behind these towns for a while now. So over the last 20 years have we been filling these postions with inferior teachers?

As I pointed out yesterday. The town manager and the superintendent each got generous contract renewals (per newspapers) when their contract were up.

Last town meeting the town authorized $570k for an elevator for the Abbot school.
I asked if other options were investigated that were cost effective.
Answer was no(keele from WSC). No one blinked when monies were approved.
Olsen found $70k to cover the difference since only $500k was allocated.
The job could have been done for less than $100k.

My point is if the town has $570k for an elevator than they surely have the money
to pay steps. Not counting the fact the Chiefs are sitting pretty on their last contract. Yet they keep hammering the teachers who are on the front lines
everyday with the children.
Its time the Westford citizens vote on the contract.

Bob

Totally agree on that one! The elevator was a waste of money during these tight times.

"A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Teachers Association reported that teachers in 65 school districts around the state are working under the terms of a previous contract. Sixteen of those contract negotiations have dragged on for a year or more, she said." Cape Cod Times Feb. 14, 2012
Sandwich is one of these districts, hasn't had a contract for over 500 days. Littleton, Andover, Peabody, Watertown are just some of the towns without new teacher contracts successfully completed.
All these school committees bad? All the Superintendents terrible administrators? My point is that can't be the 100% true, some of them must be competent. The common thread is all towns have the same issue lack of budget dollars. Would I like to see all the town employees get raises, sure. Unfortunately as in all enterprises there is only so much cash to go around. This isn’t an issue of whether or not the teachers, police or fire depts. deserve a raise or not is comes down to how much money is in the pot. Just as we all manage own finances and at times do without what we would like, the town is in the same position with its financial resources.

Westford is probably the ONLY one though where STEPS were not honored

I have an idea. Since the teachers are walking into school and leaving school at the same time as the kids, why not have them punch timecards to record the actual hours they spend on the job and pay them the hourly equivalent of their step increase?

How long before MCAS scores plummet and teachers are paid Ayer like salaries and Westford's test scores are also Ayer like? Maybe not that long. I dont think its so much that we have lost teachers in the PAST but rather I do think we are going to loose the 'master teachers' in the FUTURE. Has anyone seen the film Moneyball? We are on the fast track of becoming the Oakland As of public schools because we will not have the $$$ to compete with our neighbors and YES we are competing for a pool of teachers and like MLB teams will will fill our roster, there will be live teacher bodies in the classrooms regardless but will it be the talented 'cream of the crop' of the retreads? Think about it, I know I am a concerned resident

I love the fact we have $$$$ for Jodi Ross' 2nd assistant, Thousands of Dollar bonuses for Olsen this year and a half million dollar elevator..YET, we are nearly broke and cant afford any step increases for public workers...No wonder these teachers dont believe we are hard up the way we are acting and spending. We (the town) look bad on the timing of this elevator funding with the schools melting down before our eyes!

Tonight is another mediation between the teachers and SC. Might be last one before
Mass labor board reviews teachers grievance. What are the odds it settles tonight?

This School Committee is so dug in that somehow they arent going to loose in court its like they are on the Titanic 3/4 of the way beneath the sea still thinking it wont sink...Therefore, I wouldnt bet in it but that would be great news for a change. There is so much divide now from what I hear between teachers and the town and the Superintendent that its going to take years to rebuild whats been lost as is.

Not true Tom, previous to this mess teachers were happy working in a great and supportive system making a little less. Now teachers dont feel supported (its not only negotiations from what I hear) and the pay gap is set to get much bigger...your logic is faulty. I have been told there is a top administrator over at the Stony who is acting like he is melting down as he barks at his staff like a German officer and walks around his building with a look on his face like he just messed his trousers, I have seen some of the emails and I think melt down is appropriate

One person's melt down is another person's union contract negotiations. We will disagree on the that.

And teachers we hire being inferior, that is the teachers logic not mine.

A tweet from the Lowell Sun states that the school committee and teachers did not reach an agreement last night.

Comments referring to people as "thugs" have been removed, per our policies.

I personally cant ever see teachers being as 'giving' with THEIR free time as they were before regardless of work to rule status, a shame because in my opinion this is the fault of the prom king and prom queen SC duo of harkness-Keele and not the teachers here.
I think the principals jobs have also gotten much tougher in the future as goodwill has been burned to a crisp, good luck getting staff buy in on any new district imitative in the next few years

@Randy, Do you even live in Westford??? Do you even know what the median home price is in Westford that we pay taxes on? You have alot of nothing important to say...You must be one of those bitter teachers!!!

Our cheapness is finally catching up with us. For the past decade we have more than gotten back what we have put in relatively speaking and now the bill has come due. Although this is a difficult financial time I do understand we have underfunded our school system relevant to what we have received. I am OK with paying a little more but if not the result will be a school more like Chelmsford than Acton or Groton.

Vinny,
I guess you can take the boy out of Revere but you cant take the Revere out of the boy, I wish you would get with the Westford Liberals and open up your heart and wallet to change and education!
Thanks for listening,
Bob

Well said Dan D. I think the school committee has done a great job with the resources they have had. I think the parents of school aged kids have been supportive as well and have paid their part. This is ONE time in a long time I can remember the teachers needed to take one for the team and they won't. SHAME on them.... I hope I am never asked to reach in my pocket ever again to save a teachers job!! If we can't hire the new teacher's, have to lay off some teachers then at this point SO BE IT!!! The teacher's UNION BULLYING isn't going to work... I am not afraid to lose some of you teachers. It will not change my job as a parent. You could have worked with respect now you will work with NONE!!

WEA is getting ready to get the band back together so to speak and begin demonstration activities once again!
We ain't gonna take it, no we ain't gonna take it, we ain't gonna take it anymore! Monday outside townhall it goes down once again. Green Shirts in force be there if you are probably teacher, continue to throw stones if you are anti teacher. Either way teachers anger has been percolating and it's bubbling to the surface starting now. Hope to see Andrew there for some patch coverage

Oh boo hoo, no 2.5 override, you will have to do with ~ $50 million.

Nice try at shaping public opinion, NOT ;) With these drive-by posts you show your true motives/priorities/... not stuff we want our children seeing.

It is time to take responsibility for the $50 million per year you you accept:
- stop adding positions to cover existing people not doing their jobs (aka the need for a resource officer)
- stop asking for more more more, in the private sector we have learned to do MORE with LESS (aka in the private sector the building technology directors would have been told to SOLVE the need for a technology director, END OF STORY)
- the dreaded private sector has done with less and less $ for years (aka lower service health plans for more $, pensions became 401k s with lower matches, ...)

I believe that If you throw in benefits and retirement costs the schools budget is over 70% of the towns entire budget. It does nothing but increase every year even though the number of kids has stayed level or dropped. At these prices they need make things work. Start with massive layoffs of administrative fat. Please don't come on here and there is none. Have you ever been in these schools! Unfortunately a suggestion to reduce the budget by $550,000 was shot down in flames by the union members that would have none of that! That may affect their raise next year. The money most certainly is there. The problem is that no public institution has any idea how to run a business. Why is that? Because no matter how poorly they perform, the solution is easy, squeeze the pockets of it taxpayers. This year the budget should have been reduced by 15%. When things start to get eliminated from citizens children education maybe then the would demand more from the inept and unaccountable people in power. Anyone can justify why the need money. Just listen to Olsen and SC each and every year. As for the teachers, I agree they are on a lower scale than some towns. This is because your bosses are fiscally inept. You all have had a full year to seek employment elsewhere. Other than the 8 that left I assume that has not gone well because we are seeing the same old stuff. Good luck squeezing your unearned raises for all. There will be no override.

the paper vote for the $500k passed at ATM by the blowing, override gonna squeak through too. pay up and shut up

Uhh no it did not. 140 no 105 yes. Get your facts right. How's the job search going?
Not so well I take it.

Well Sam the vote was to decrease the school budget by $500,000 and it failed. Therefore, you with me here, the schools did get their extra half million to fund new positions because 140 people to 105 people wanted it that way. This same margin will push a 2.5 yes vote down your throat so get ready to paaaaaaaayyyyyyy for those new school positions like full Madarin Chinese!!!

Here you go:
http://westford.patch.com/articles/town-meeting-updates-starting-at-10-a-m-today

My point was that the motion FAILED! Got that. This town meeting like most, if there are no big issues go just that way. The unions and the straw hats win the day. Bring on 2 1/2 and you won't be able to find a seat. Good luck Devil. Enjoy the relaxing time afforded to your during your upcoming work to rule. Any summer plans?

Sam,
Westford's greedy teachers will be especially busy this summer spending their fat prop 2.5 override bonus checks, hope you keep that tax checkbook handy!

Funny. But now it is time wake up Devil. The dream is over.

Sam,
John Lennon said it best: "you may say that Im a dreamer, but Im not the only one..."