Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - Another play in the ongoing dispute between the Buffalo Schools and its teachers union as the district says it has received a fact finder's report on the continued showdown between the district and the Buffalo Teachers Federation on a contract.
In a statement on the report released Tuesday, the district said: The fact-finder’s reasoned and thorough analysis of the issues confirms and validates the District’s stated position that it has consistently offered a fair package to our teachers making it amongst the most competitive in the region and one which would allow the District to recruit and retain the best teachers for our students. Finally, the report confirms the unaffordability of the BTF’s financial proposals and reiterates the District’s inability to pay for the BTF’s salary demands.
The District will be presenting this to the Board of Education for its consideration and possible future action. We are hopeful that these recommendations form the “blueprint” for a settlement in the immediate future. Given the length of the impasse, it is our hope that the BTF views this report with the same expectation.
BTF President Phil Rumore says the negotiating team rejects the fact finder's report, calling it one-sided. "It contains what the district wanted. And maybe there may be one small thing that the BTF requested, but even says it itself. These recommendations are as proposed by the district," says Rumore.
Rumore says teachers are going to be very angry when the read it, and the union has set it up for a vote.