BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Both buffalo teachers and the district say they want a new contract.
“Now is the time to settle this contract,” said Nate Kuzma, General Counsel for the Buffalo Public School District.
Two days after an independent fact finder released a report on the on-going negotiations between the BPS and the teacher’s union, there are mixed reactions about the 22-page report.
“This is a very bias fact finders report, it’s unacceptable,” said Phil Rumore, President of the BTF. “They gave the district everything they asked for, and the teachers nothing they asked for.”
Among the sticking points, the salaries. The union wants an 8% raise for each year retro to the last time there was a contract in 2010 until 2026.
The report found teachers salaries in Buffalo don’t differ much from surrounding districts.
The district says it’s not opposed to raises for teachers, but wouldn’t be able to afford 8% each year.
“They deserve raises and we are well financed to make meaningful investments,” said Kuzma. “That will have a tremendous impact on our 3800 teachers.”
“When it comes to the salaries the percentage is good to a point, but it takes teachers in Buffalo 27 years to reach maximum,” Rumore said. “In other districts it’s the average of 22 years that's hundreds of thousands of dollars in lifetime earnings.”
The union says its members will vote by this weekend to reject the fact finders report, and they will go back to the bargaining table.
You can read more about the report here.
