By Ivan Pereira
Teachers and school union officials protested outside a Jamaica charter school last week, demanding that the institution’s board put more of its resources into academics.
Nearly 30 protesters, led by the United Federation of Teachers, marched in the cold outside the Merrick Academy Dec. 22, urging administrators to stop spending hundreds of thousands on services from a for-profit management corporation and instead give instructors pay increases.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew said Victory Schools Inc. has been receiving more than a million dollars from Merrick for items such as administrative development, school supervision and training even though the teachers have requested higher pay.
“It’s highly questionable. I don’t know how you can file all of that money to a for-profit corporation,” he said.
Teachers of the nine-year-old school, at 207-01 Jamaica Ave., said they have been frustrated because despite cuts from the state to charter schools, the board of directors continues to shell out nearly a quarter of its budget to Victory for its consulting services while they still negotiate new contracts.
Instructor Jonathan Carrington noted that students have to use a playground for exercise since there is no gym and there are heat problems inside the building.
“We want the same thing that the [city Department of Education] teachers have,” he said.
Officials from Merrick Academy could not be reached for comment by press time Tuesday.
Margaret Harrington, the chief operating officer for Victory Schools, said the organization has been contracted by the school for years and does not have a direct impact on the school’s budget. Harrington said the school has been hit with financial problems due to the state cutbacks and as a result a planned salary increase was reduced to a lower percentage the union did not agree with.
“There is still a negotiation going on with the teachers and their board,” she said.
Mulgrew disagreed and said the issue could be simplified if the Merrick board relinquished its contract, since Victory’s services are seldom used.
“It becomes a problem when a for-profit corporation takes fees that are needed for children’s education,” he said.
The UFT will continue to fight until Merrick’s administrators become more fiscally responsible, according to the UFT president, and the union has prominent supporter in its corner.
City Comptroller-elect John Liu joined the rally last week and said the salary freezes were inexcusable.
“We have to make sure our teachers are enabled to teach,” he said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
