Northport Teachers Show Solidarity at Board of Ed Meeting

math teacher David Storch was in the middle of giving a presentation on the International Baccalaureate program to the school board and members of the community at Monday's Board of Education meeting when an estimated 300 members of United Teachers of Northport began entering the large cafeteria silently and lining up two and three rows deep against the walls.

This was the first time that the teachers, who have been without a contract since June 30, have made their presence felt in such large numbers at a Board meeting since Oct. 4.

Later in the meeting, Board President Stephen Waldenburg acknowledged that Northport resident Joseph Stewart had sent a letter dated Monday to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marylou McDermott in which he suggested that extra help be included as part of the contract with the teachers' union. Stewart had raised this issue during the public session portion of the Nov. 15 Board meeting. At that time, McDermott had confirmed that extra help has not been contractually mandated. A full copy of Stewart's letter is attached to this article.

In the letter, Stewart stresses the need to help middle level students who could use the extra help: "Please make extra help mandatory in the next teacher's contract and make a reasonable amount of time mandatory as well, left up to your expertise. This contract provision will give the principals of our school district the power to ensure that all students are assisted equally and not left behind."

The letter concludes with a request for each board trustee to state whether he or she is in favor of the proposal.

Stewart, who attended the latest meeting, told the Board that he had done research and found that the Huntington, Harborfields, and Elwood school districts all contractually include extra help. The board listened but made no public statements about Stewart's proposal.

Asked after the meeting if he was surprised at the large turnout, Stewart said that initially he had wondered if it had to do with his letter, but that he understood from talking to some people afterward that it was just a coincidence. "I've had a lot of great experiences with the teachers in this district," he said, adding that he understood why board members didn't discuss his proposal. "Generally, negotiations aren't discussed in public. I'll give them a pass for not making a comment. I understand."

Stewart said that his research on the other school districts turned up nothing that pointed to either stipends or higher wages if extra help were made mandatory, and suggested that union members might consider other ways to make their views known rather than silently attending board meetings, including the possible use of ads in local newspapers.

Antoinette Blanck, President of United Teachers of Northport, confirmed after the meeting that the large turnout was just a coincidence, and that it had been planned before Stewart brought up the issue of extra help at the Nov. 15 Board meeting. "Our intent was not to interrupt the meeting. We entered quietly. It had nothing to do with the letter." She pointed out that members of the union have been showing solidarity in other ways, including solidarity walks in front of the schools every other Friday before classes begin.

As for the issue of extra help, Blanck said that even though it hasn't been part of the contract in the past, she's never heard of any teacher who has denied help to students who need it. She hadn't seen the other school districts' contracts and therefore was unable to comment, but said that she would think that salaries would increase due to the increased hours that mandatory extra help would entail.

"If the district wants to introduce extra help, that's their prerogative," Blanck said, adding that she was unable to comment if the issue had already been brought up, given that contract negotiations are ongoing.