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January 11, 2008

Teacher rally invades downtown, blocks traffic

Crystal Bozek

ANDOVER | Close to 300 teachers looked up at Superintendent Claudia Bach's office window and hollered, "We want a contract."

"Louder," instructed Tom Meyers, the teachers union president, his voice close to hoarse.

They shouted and they sang, and while Bach never came to the window during yesterday afternoon's rally, the Andover Education Association hopes it got its message across.

After more than a year of collective bargaining, teachers are angry at the stalemate in contract negotiations with the School Committee. Teachers want more money | enough to keep up with the cost of living | and committee members said there isn't any more to give.

Teachers have been working without a new contract since September.

"People are getting very upset," Meyers said. "The committee's offers would put us behind."

Neither side will divulge what those offers are.

The teachers started their demonstration in front of downtown's Old Town Hall, before marching to the administration buildings. On their way, they caused a traffic jam on Main Street, blocking cars from turning onto side streets as they slowly made their way down the road.

Two Andover police officers were called to direct traffic.

High-school Spanish teacher Bill Kolbe lead the group in song, playing his guitar to Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind."

The group tweaked the lyrics to fit its cause. Instead of, "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind," they sang, "The answer, my friend, is to ratify now."

High-school science teacher Tim Van-Wey got the crowd riled up, saying he became annoyed when reading a newspaper article where town officials said they were "fiercely proud" of their school system.

"Let's turn this fierce pride into money," Van-Wey told the crowd. "Pay us what you think we're worth."

The education association | which also represents school nurses, instructional assistants and school secretaries | unanimously rejected a contract offer by the School Committee in December.

Meyers said teachers are looking for salaries and benefits comparable to districts the School Committee likes to compare itself to for MCAS and other tests | places 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. Meyers said he's afraid teachers could start leaving for these better-paying districts.

The teachers started attending School Committee meetings in June, and held a small protest in late October. The group even took its message to the lawns, putting up signs around town that read, "Value Education ... Teacher Contracts Now."

A leaflet also went out to parents in the fall telling them that teachers are working without a contract, but would continue to offer all their after-school volunteer services.

The fiscal year 2008 budget passed at Town Meeting in April did not set aside money for salary increases. Every 1 percent salary increase for School Department employees would cost $450,000, at a time when the education leaders also are tackling a $2.4 million budget deficit.

"We need the School Committee to fight to get the money needed to get the schools running properly," Meyers said. "That's what they are elected to do."

It took a year for the School Committee and teachers to agree on their last three-year contract back in 2005. Teachers received a 9.4 percent salary increase over three years, Meyers said, but had to pay a greater portion of their health insurance.

The union's bargaining unit meets for another negotiating session with the School Committee on Jan. 24.

"I love being a teacher. I take enormous pride in what I do," said Brian Stevens, an art teacher at Doherty Middle School. "Standing shoulder to shoulder, all of us, that's going to help us solve this problem."

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