Teachers ready for school despite long-expired contract

POUGHKEEPSIE – The students in the Poughkeepsie City School District (PCSD) are starting the new school year today (Thursday) and the district’s educators will be there to welcome and teach them.  The faculty, members of the Poughkeepsie Public School Teachers’ Association (PPSTA), arrived at the various district schools earlier in the week to prepare for the students, despite working without a contract for six years.

The members of the union are spending their off-time expressing their displeasure with PCSD Superintendent Dr. Eric Rosser, who inherited the stalled contract negotiations when he took the top job in the district in 2019.  The union has repeatedly noted that many new members of the administration are receiving large salaries despite little explanation of the new positions.  The union educators also routinely express their dissatisfaction with School Board President Tom O’Neill, who has displayed his dislike for the union on several occasions.

Recently, the union educators took offense when the district’s lawyer and negotiator, Kate Reid, referred to the teachers as “human capital.”

Dozens of union teachers gathered outside of the school district offices on Wednesday in advance of the school board meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening along with New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) Labor Relations Specialist Jeff Benton.

“This is about finding a way to value these people (teachers) and respect these people and reach a settlement that is good for the community, good for the district, and certainly good for the faculty here and allow them to take care of their families and themselves,” he said. Benton failed to provide a response when asked what the major sticking points were that are holding up the negotiations.

While protesting teachers were gathered outside of the building prior to the board meeting, the members of the board were huddled inside.  Asked what it would take to settle a contract with the teachers after…

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