Several people going by greeted picketers with honks and waves.
By Donna Perry
Staff Writer

JAY – Taxpayers have spent $110,000-plus on professional and legal services since July 2001 for the School Department.

The bulk of the money has gone to the School Committee’s effort to negotiate new contracts with employees, including teachers.

In one of the most expensive periods this year, from May 1 through June 12, a check for $11,042.02 was written to Drummond Woodsum & MacMahon, a law firm in Portland.

The sum covered several items, including student disciplinary and labor issues other than negotiations, and negotiations concerning bus driver/custodians, cafeteria workers, education technicians and teachers.

Four of six contracts have been resolved. Still unsettled are contracts with education technicians and teachers.

On Monday, there was still no new offer for teachers who have been working under the old contract that expired Aug. 31, 2002.

Teachers claim they had another setback this year when they didn’t receive their experience step increases they expected, though they received them last year.

Members of the Jay Education Association, a couple students and at least one teacher’s husband silently protested Monday holding placards on Main Street.

President of the Maine Education Association Rob Walker joined the protesters.

Several people going by greeted picketers with honks and waves and at least one senior citizen gave a thumbs up.

Veteran teacher Karen Mitchell said she hopes the contract will be resolved soon. She’s working to rule of the contract as other teachers are and is unable to spend the time she would like to with students after school.

Superintendent Robert Wall and School Committee Chairman Jim Durrell said they expect a negotiations meeting to be set soon.

Both men said they would not negotiate the contract in the media.

The last offer on the table to teachers was a recommendation from an independent fact-finders’ panel that made non-binding recommendations to settle the dispute.

JEA members voted to accept the fact-finders’ 2-1 decision, which appeared to be a compromise for both parties, in what union members say was an attempt to settle the contract. Under the agreement, teachers’ contributions to health insurance would have tripled and they wouldn’t receive the increase they sought.

But School Committee members previously said if they followed the fact-finding recommendations, it would cost taxpayers too much. They also said it was worth the money spent on hiring a chief negotiator to help members negotiate contracts with school personnel for citizens’ benefit.

In a JEA statement, members noted they recently surveyed contracts of other collective bargaining groups in the town and found that the pay increases and insurance contributions recommended by the fact-finders are in line with other town employees.

According to JEA’s information, municipal employees are to receive 3 percent pay increases in each of 2003-04 and 2004-05.

Negotiated pay raises for school cafeteria workers and custodians are 2.5 percent for each of those two years, the statement claims. School secretaries received a 2.5 percent pay increase in 2003-04 and 2.4 percent increase in 2004-05, it states.

School administrators received a 4.5 percent and 5 percent pay increase in 2003-04 and 2004 and 2005 respectively, but they added 10 days to their work year.

The fact-finders’ recommendation for teachers was a 3.5 percent pay increase in each of 2003-04 and 2004-05, the JEA sheet states.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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