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Schools

United Teachers of Northport to Vote on Contract May 15

A second MOA will be put to a vote by the rank-and-file on Election Day; union and BOE presidents are cautiously optimistic.

After a marathon meeting on Wednesday, May 2 that lasted until nearly midnight, the Northport Board and the UTN reached an agreement on an MOA which will be put to a vote by union members on May 15.

Before Monday night's Board meeting, UTN president Antoinette Blanck said that it was helpful to have all BOE members at the May 2 session. "I want to acknowledge that. I appreciate their attendance there."

On May 3, Blanck said the agreement was drawn up and signed by both parties, then distributed to union members on Friday, May 4. On Tuesday, May 8 the union will meet to discuss the MOA, which Blanck says addresses the three areas which she felt were the reasons for the failure of the first MOA back in January: loss of multiple step, lack of compensation for teachers for step 20, and the cap at step 5 for teachers' assistants.

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Blanck said her hope is that if ratification takes place on May 15, the Board could approve it on Tuesday evening, the same day as the election.

"I'm hopeful," she said. "Cautious optimism."

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During Monday's Board meeting, President Stephen Waldenburg echoed the same sentiments. "I am very hopeful, as I think everyone should be, that this is going to be a positive result." Neither Waldenburg nor Blanck disclosed any details of the proposed MOA.

The  which outlined salary and step increases as well as the process teachers would need to follow to appeal performance reviews and evaluations.

The UTN said the January MOA was "disrespectful treatment of teachers, teaching assistants and nurses is not acceptable and will not be tolerated” and referred to a number of instances of alleged disrespect at the time, including a faculty member being “threatened with potential disciplinary action” days before the ratification vote and denied the right to union representation.

After Monday's meeting, Superintendent Marylou McDermott said she was delighted by the developments. "I told Antoinette (Blanck) after the first MOA that I was going to do everything I could to make the district whole again. I was determined not to go to fact finding."

 

 

 

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