Civil approach to school funding crisis

Jeff Rozran is president of the 725-member Syosset Teachers' Association.

The professional staff of the Syosset Central school district recently received attention for accepting a salary concession for next year. But before any public employers point to this and ask their employees to follow suit, they should be prepared to model the process and not just the result.

The Syosset Teachers' Association was asked for help by a central administration that understands contracts to be serious obligations. The unique combination of lost or reduced funds from the state and federal government and increased costs beyond the district's control motivated the request. The district didn't threaten or try to dictate terms - and the result was a search for mutually acceptable solutions.

Each party had an important goal. The district needed to reduce costs until the economic circumstances improve. The employees needed to make certain that any sacrifice they made actually saved their colleagues' jobs. And both needed to be sure that the result protected the quality and breadth of Syosset's academic program, which is designed to maximize all the talents of its students.

The civil conversation that took place between labor and management created a settlement in which employees exchanged next year's negotiated wage increase for reassurances that there will be no layoffs next year - except those caused by decreased enrollment or changes in student course selection. "Step" increases and increments will remain in place. The contract was extended for one year, restoring the postponed increases in 2013. The district will present a budget to the community that will make it possible to honor this agreement - but if the budget does not pass, the agreement is null and void.

Over the course of several weeks, teachers, nurses, therapists and tutors in the Syosset school district, which serves 6,687 students in 10 schools, studied the problem. They debated it in their buildings, received clarification on the details, and then overwhelmingly accepted the terms, proud to have had an opportunity to participate in finding a solution to the problem.

While every school district in Nassau and Suffolk is facing financial challenges right now, each district is different in its need for concessions. Some really do, as the governor has suggested, have financial reserves sufficient to allow them to sustain the coming loss in state and federal revenues without cutting staff or programs. Other districts have already received concessions from their employees that eliminate the need to reduce costs further at this time.

When employers do need help to fulfill their contractual obligations, they should forego threats and bluster. Diplomacy and a real partnership will lead to far better results.

When the need is there, and if approached with respect, most public employee unions will make a very real effort to be partners with their employers in finding solutions to their short-term problems. Those solutions must make every effort to avoid job losses. Whose quality of life will improve if we lay off teachers, police officers, college professors, nurses and other government workers? How will that hasten our economic recovery? This is especially true in the field of education. We need to invest in education, not starve it, if we hope to adequately prepare the next generation of workers and citizens.

Educators are being accused by the governors of several states, other political leaders and anonymous advertisers of being inefficient, ineffective, overpaid, overbenefited, coddled and greedy. Such accusations will neither encourage faculties to make concessions, nor help attract talented young people into the profession. This is a time to soften the political rhetoric. It's a time stop pointing fingers - and to start solving problems.