Canton Teachers Associaton Speaks Out At School Committee Meeting

It was standing room only at the meeting Thursday night. Canton public school teachers packed the room, bearing colorful signs displaying their credentials, as several teachers and the president of the CTA Pat Phalan took to the microphone to present their views on recent contract negotiations.

Although listed on the School Committee Agenda as "anticipated comments from the CTA," under public comments/questions, the committee members seemed surprised by the vast number of teachers who filled the room and spoke.

The teachers who spoke all addressed concerns about changing the steps/salary increases for Canton Public School teachers. The speakers were met with rounds of applause and cheers during the 40-minute presentation.

School Committee Member expressed concern after the speeches and said she felt "personally attacked" as a committee member.

During the presentation, CTA president Pat Phalan said the proposal set forth by the Canton School Committee will put Canton "so far behind" other communities in terms of pay rates that it could force teachers to leave the school system.

She said the proposal, to spread out the steps that could delay pay increases over the years for teachers, "frankly feels like a slap in the face."

"The proposal is bad for teachers," students, and the district's reputation, Phalan said.

"We understand these are difficult times financially," she said, noting many teachers live in town and are facing their own financial hardships. "We simply ask for a modest increase to help us pay the bills."

"Our members feel insulted by your proposal," Phalan told the committee.

She said after eight negotiation sessions, bringing in an outside party to mediate contract talks is not what the CTA wants. She asked the committee to return to the negotiation table over the summer.

said he agreed with some of the teachers' opinions, but also said some of it was "a bit preposterous," especially the comments that the committee does not support teachers.

"Reuki (Schutt) and I have advocated for two overrides" to increase teacher salaries since 2007, Bonnanzio stated.

He noted that many of the current teachers are benefiting from that override.

However, in the past four years, the economy has "been turned upside down and inside out," he said.

"The country is getting poorer," Bonnanzio said. "We have less money. We can't give you more if we don't have (more money to give you)."

The chairman said the rate of growth of increases in salaries is outpacing the revenue growth for the school district.

"We all want to do more for the teachers," he said.

The only way to get more money would be to raise taxes for the town or by "laying off a whole lot of people in this room, and we don't want to do that," the chairman stated.

said the committee will discuss in executive session the proposal to return to the bargaining table.