Deer Park teachers OK pay freeze

The Deer Park teachers union has agreed to forgo a 3 percent pay increase already negotiated for the next school year in exchange for a contract extension and pay increases in subsequent years.

The revised agreement, approved Nov. 30, saves the district $1.2 million over the life of the three-year contract, said Superintendent Eva J. Demyen.

Considering the size of the district's budget - $95.2 million for the 2010-11 school year - Demyen said the savings may not seem like much, but insisted every little bit counts.

"That translates to 17 teaching positions," Demyen said. "That's not chump change when you're talking about people's lives and instructional programs for students."

There are about 390 teachers working in the district, Demyen said, with an average salary of about $60,000 a year or $75,000 counting benefits. The teachers will continue receiving their annual "step" increases.

Fred Gorman, founder of Long Islanders for Education Reform, criticized the pact, saying all it does is defer teachers' pay raises for later years.

"It's smoke and mirrors. They really haven't given up anything," said Gorman, a vocal critic of school spending. "They're just trying to make themselves look good. What they're doing is they're getting pay increases later on."

The original contract, which called for a 3 percent wage increase in the 2011-12 school year, was due to expire in June 2012.

"If we did not do this, we would lose jobs," said Bruce Sander, president of the Deer Park Teachers Association.

In exchange for the pay freeze, Demyen said the district agreed to increase the teachers' salaries by 4.85 percent for 2012-13 and 1.85 percent for 2013-14.