ANDOVER - Teachers at Andover High School will not participate in an open house for parents next month because of dissatisfaction over contract negotiations.
The Feb. 14 event has been canceled. English teacher Brian Shea, a member of the teachers union, said the open house traditionally attracts more than 500 parents and has been held for at least eight years.
"Canceling this open house was a very difficult decision," Shea said yesterday. "It's hard. The teachers are getting pretty angry. At this point, there's also no movement (in negotiations). Morale is low. People are frustrated. I think if they respected and valued us, we'd have a contract."
Nearly 100 teachers voted unanimously Monday night not to hold the event, Shea said. Their contract, which expired in September, mandates they hold one such event in the fall to show parents what their children will learn. The evening held in the second semester is done voluntarily.
Money is the issue with the new contract, which they've been negotiating since December 2006. Teachers want salaries comparable to those in towns like Lexington, Newton and Brookline. The average Andover teacher earns $60,968, according to the state Department of Education Web site, while in Brookline the average salary is $64,662.
School Committee members have said there isn't anymore money to give.
The town is facing a $3 million budget deficit, and the School Department has been told to find $1.9 million in cuts. That would involve cutting all athletics, increasing class sizes to 30 students or laying off 44 teachers, Superintendent Claudia Bach said.
The teachers rejected a contract offer by the School Committee this past December.
A dozen parents waiting outside the high school yesterday weren't concerned about the open house being canceled with some saying they didn't even know one was scheduled.
Some agreed that the teachers should have a new contract.
"I want them to have a contract," said Mim Chapman, whose daughter is a freshman. "I'm really disappointed they don't. If that's what it takes, I'm OK with that."
But a few more said they thought teachers were asking for too much.
"I knew it was pretty bad, but I didn't think they would cancel events," said Pam Bruce, who was waiting to pick up her daughter, a junior. "I think the teachers are asking too much. This town clearly does not have the money for other things."
School Committee members said they hadn't heard that teachers had canceled the event, and weren't happy when told. Chairman Art Barber was concerned that canceling it would negatively affect students.
Deb Silberstein said "it was a poor decision on their part. This is a community that has deep respect and values all our teachers. It reflects poorly on them. We're making our best efforts to settle the contract as soon as possible. I personally feel we're making some progress. I don't think it was a necessary vote."
School Committee member David Samuels agreed, and called the move "appalling."
"We are working exhaustingly to try to be creative with the heads of the union, get them to the table. Despite that, they feel they need to somehow hurt the children's education," Samuels said. "I'm confused as to why they feel they have to do that. Parents nights are important. That's when you hear what's going on with your children's education so you can help them at home."
It took one year for the School Committee and teachers to agree on the last three-year contract in 2005. Teachers received a 9.4 percent salary increase over three years, but had to pay a greater portion of their health insurance.
Teachers said parents can call or e-mail them in lieu of the open house being held.
