Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Buffalo Public Schools Wednesday affter their interpretation of the results of the fact finding report shared Monday regarding negotiations between the Buffalo Teachers Federation.
A third party mediator recommends an 8% salary increase and an 8% signing bonus with raises in years 2023, 2024 and 2025 being 6%, 4%, and 3% respectively, similar to what the district has been offering.
"The district has remained committed to helping to ensure that all of our teachers receive a fair competitive contract," said Superintendent Dr. Tonja Williams. "That is what we want. That is what we have always wanted from the very start."
"This past June we, as a school district, asked the Public Employee Relations Board or PERB, to appoint a Fact Finder," said Buffalo Public Schools General Counsel Nate Kuzma. "At that point in time, we were billions of dollars apart. And to any objective person that was looking at that, could see that this wasn't a situation where you meet in the middle or compromise. Often, negotiations are meet in the middle, but we could not do that, in light of the Federation's position at that point in time."
Kuzma is now once again calling to get this contract done. "We believe now is the time, based on this decision, to settle this contract, the time is now, to do this, and to get it done," he said. "There has been a lot of public sparring in regard to these issues, which in my view, is not productive, it's destructive, to negotiate in that way. But we feel it necessary, because these issues are out in the public, and we want to be transparent when they're out in the public on how we feel, and we want to tell our story."
Kuzma says they have now offered a package that is valued at $225 million, which is more than double the what the contract was settled for in 2016. Kuzma believes that based on data and facts, this offer is not insulting, like the BTF suggests.
"When you're so far outside of reality and then you continue to double down on that, it's not going to be rewarded by somebody that's neutral in looking at this from the outside," Kuzma said. "What is going to be rewarded is a commitment to fair and good faith negotiation and that's what we're committed to doing moving forward. I hope we can get this contract on in the immediate future, because that's what our teachers deserve.
The Buffalo Teachers Federation rejects this fact finding report, you can view the full report and response from union here.
Going forward, Kuzma plans on briefing the Board of Education this Wednesday night on the results of the fact finding report and hopes to meet with the union in the next several weeks.