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Norwalk's Teachers' Pay at Heart of Issue

NORWALK, Conn. – A Norwalk teacher made a daring public stand last week in reference to the tremendous amount of cuts needed in the Norwalk's public schools budget.

"Teachers would take a freeze if you asked all 900 of us, not just the 90 that happen to be in power," Jeff Beckley, an untenured third-grade Brookside Elementary School teacher, said to Norwalk's Common Council Tuesday night.

It was music to Jack Chiaramonte's ears. "The reality of the situation is this: Unless the unions give a zero there is nothing to talk about," said the chairman of the Board of Education, regarding the need to make at least $7.7 million in cuts in the 2012-2013 budget before June 30.

Superintendent Susan Marks has proposed laying off many teachers, and efforts by Democratic Common Council members last week to pressure Norwalk to come up with the money failed. Chiaramonte said if the teachers agree to a pay freeze it will automatically save 25 jobs. Other unions have indicated they will make concessions if the teachers do, Chiarmonte said, although he would not say which ones.

"At that point I really wouldn't have a problem saying, 'You know what? Everybody's giving something here. Let's go to the city, see if we can get a little bit more," he said.

"Jack wants to lead the charge to decimate the school system as chairman of the Board of Education. Then he wants us to subsidize his nonsense," said Bruce Mellion, president of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers.

Chiaramonte did not support Marks' budget request, Mellion said. He never went before the Common Council to press for the money, and, as a result, the council set a tax cap that mandated Marks' budget be cut by $5.8 million.

When other unions were getting 3.5 percent raises, the teachers were negotiating to get 1.35, 1.36 and 1.37, Mellion said, adding that he has made other offers that have been ignored.

"Early incentive retirement, I've had on the table for weeks and months," he said. "For every five teachers that retire it saves $135,000. Plus it saves unemployment. Plus it saves our attrition costs. Plus it reduces payroll. It's a palms-up situation on a platinum platter. You can pay off the incentive any way you want. You want two years, you want three years, I don't care. I don't know how you can come in with open arms any larger and say here. ... That's real money, that's not made-up money, and those are real savings to the city, to the Board of Ed."

How many teachers would take the incentive? "It might only be five, but if they made it earlier I think it would be more," Mellion said. "But Jack starts on his one-act circus."

Beckley, who was Brookside's 2011 Teacher of the Year, says he has three kids and $100,000 in student loans to repay. On Tuesday night he said he respects Mellion, but is willing to forgo the $21-a-week cost of living increase he expects next year to save jobs.

On Thursday he made further comments to the council's finance committee. "I spoke to many teachers over the past 48 hours," he said. "Some of them, as you can imagine, weren't pleasant. Some of them were OK. Many of them fear that if you take a freeze it somehow shows weakness. I couldn't disagree more. Taking the freeze to keep jobs, teachers, shows incredible strength and compassion for one another. In the 54 percent of the districts that took the freeze, the unions chose to take the freeze to prevent job loss. So I say no to my fellow members of the NFT and I disagree, it is not weakness, it is simply recognizing that we are in one of the worst economic times since the great depression."

Tony Ditrio, leader of the administrator's union and principal at Kendall Elementary School, spoke to the committee after Beckley did.

"His comments, I understand them," Ditrio said. Later he turned toward Beckley and said, "I guarantee you'll get more of your freeze when you go to negotiate the next contract."

Chiaramonte said the teachers he has spoken to would like to take a pay freeze and he doesn't know why Mellion won't allow a poll. "We're going into negotiations (for the next contract) now," he said. "We're going to get a freeze next year. They're the only group that hasn't given it. You go into arbitration, I know we're going. I said to them, take a freeze now, we won't look for it later, next year."

Attached below is documentation from the Norwalk Federation of Teachers of the pay raises they have gotten, aloong with concessions to the city

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