deserve a contract
At the February Community District Education Council 26 meeting, a resolution was passed regarding the need to have a new contract with New York City School Principals, Assistant Principals, Supervisors, and Administrators represented by the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (“CSA”).
This action was a result of the insignificant negotiations that have taken place between the CSA and the Department of Education (“DOE”) since the current contract expired on June 30, 2003. Such has been the Department of Education’s inattention to this contract that the CSA is seeking help from Community District Education Councils throughout the city to get the DOE to engage in collective bargaining. As a parent of two students in a NYC public school and an active member of parent-based education organizations, I am outraged by the DOE’s lack of respect toward the people responsible for leading our schools in the quest of educating our children.
Under the Bloomberg administration and the DOE’s leadership by Chancellor Klein, principals have been given many more tasks in running their schools. The current contract does not remotely reflect the new work conditions of school supervisors and administrators.
The Taylor Law not only prohibits public employees from striking, it requires that the public employer negotiate in good faith or risk penalties being imposed by the New York State Public Employment Relations Board. Such threat has not spurred the DOE to actively negotiate during the past thirty-three months and one can hardly blame principals and other administrators if they become disgruntled.
I urge the DOE to begin serious negotiations with the CSA so we can avoid creating such bad feelings in its ranks of public employees.
Robert I. Caloras
Little Neck
