JAY – The School Committee split 3-to-2 in offering to pay experience step-increases to teachers. Now it’s up to the Jay Education Association to see if teachers will accept the peace offer.

The Jay Education Association filed a grievance against the committee after teachers were first told they would receive experience step increases, then later were informed they wouldn’t.

Amy Pineau, Timothy Toothaker and Gene Uhuad voted to pay the steps while Chairman Jim Durrell and former Chairman Clint Brooks opposed.

Durrell and Brooks said via e-mail they oppose paying the steps because of a state labor law.

The statute, according to Brooks, deals with municipal public employees labor relation laws.

“It shall be the obligation of the public employer and the bargaining agent to execute in writing any agreements arrived at, the term of any such agreements to be subject to negotiation but shall not exceed three years…” Brooks stated in reviewing the statute.

That was the basis of the decision to not offer step payments this year, he added.

Teachers are in their second year without a contract. They have been working under terms of a contract that expired Aug. 31, 2002.

“I voted that way in keeping with the collective bargaining laws and our process up to that point to have a fair and equitable contract,” Durrell said via e-mail.

Timothy Toothaker said he voted to uphold the grievance for several reasons, including consistency. Since the board paid the steps last year and initially agreed to pay them this year, he felt teachers deserved them. Additionally, he hoped it would help to lift morale, he said.

Uhuad and Pineau were unavailable for comment.

Sherry Gilbert, president of the Jay Education Association, declined comment until after the association receives official word from the School Committee on the outcome of the grievance.

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