Greenwich Teachers Have New 3-Year Contract Following RTM's Vote

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich public school teachers now have a new three-year contract in place following the Representative Town Meeting's vote on Monday night.

The contract includes a 2.5 percent general wage increase plus step movement in each school year from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026. There is also a 2.5 percent increase in teacher stipends each year, and increased insurance premium cost sharing with the town.

The RTM does not vote to approve contracts such as this; they vote to reject. The vote went 82 in favor of rejecting the contract, 110 opposed with two abstentions.

Monday's RTM meeting featured plenty of debate surrounding the contract, which would have gone to arbitration if it was rejected. A motion to postpone the item indefinitely failed by a narrow margin of 100 in favor, 101 opposed with an abstention.

Postponement would have triggered the contract automatically without the RTM voting one way or another.

Proponents of the contract said teachers should be supported, especially because of the nature of their job and the current economic and political climate around the country. Others also said the contract should be accepted because the arbitration process would prove to be fruitless.

Opponents cited lower test scores in the district, and the impact wage increases would have on other aspects of the school budget, which in turn would hurt students, they said.

"I think it's essential that we send a signal that we support our teachers. The culture wars are booming loud and clear across the entire country. I think our teachers are making an extraordinary effort in a difficult time," said state Rep. Stephen Meskers (D-150), who is also a member of the RTM. "The test results on the back of COVID are suffering, and that seems to be a reason for not paying [teachers]. That's akin to telling policemen that crime is up and we should pay them less. I don't understand the logic of it. I think the contract is fair."

James Waters, an RTM member from District 12, said arbitration would cost the town more money.

"That will cost us on other contracts negotiated this year. Rolling the dice and praying arbitrators will save us .7 percent could easily cost us many many millions," he said.

Mary Flynn, also of District 12, noted the level of inflation in the country and the national teacher shortage.

"We need to support our teachers. They've kept our scores up higher than many other places and they're doing a good job," she said.

Kimberly Blank, vice chair of the RTM's education committee, spoke as an individual and urged her fellow members to vote for rejection of the contract.

She said the Board of Estimate and Taxation's guideline of a 2.9 percent budget increase next year, coupled with a 4.1 percent increase in labor costs, would hurt the school district if the contract was approved.

"This is a question of math. I don't see how the board of education meets these guidelines without making real cuts. I think this contract is going to hurt our students," Blank said.

Lucia Jansen, chair of the RTM's budget overview committee, agreed.

"With this approval, we are saying adults are going to override the children," she added.

Greenwich Board of Education vice chair Karen Kowalski called the contract "unprecedented." She said it would cost the town $38 million over the next three years.

"My biggest worry is that this contract will lead to fewer teachers in our kids' classrooms," Kowalski said, noting that the town faces a "big fiscal cliff" when COVID-19 funds run dry.

"Who will pay for the budget increase to keep all of our current teachers affording these raises?" Kowalski asked. "Higher teacher pay will not lead to better performance, but instead to poor performance and layoffs."

RTM member Scott Kalb of District 7, spoke from experience in urging the town body to accept the contract.

"I've worked as a teacher in the past. My son is a teacher currently, and so is my daughter. I can tell you that no one works harder for less pay by the hour than our teachers. It's a grueling job, and they deserve our support, not our scorn or rejection," Kalb said.

"Somehow there seems to be a narrative that's crept into our town that our public employees are overpaid and underworked, especially our teachers," Kalb added. "I urge you not to buy into this narrative. It's not who we are as a town and it's not reality."

Lillian Perone, president of the Greenwich Education Association, issued a statement to Patch on the RTM's vote:

GEA thinks it is a fair economic package and we were able to address concerns for teachers regarding more self directed professional time, more flexibility for maternity and family leave, and opportunities to work together to solve some of the challenges we face as a district and community.

We recognize that the RTM took an affirmative step to approve the agreement, which is a welcome sign of support for our members from the community. We felt that a lot of the speakers at the RTM really understood what we had been through during COVID and respected the work we had done to keep our students engaged and successful.

We look forward to continuing to work with the BOE to ensure that every student in our schools has the chance to succeed.