Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Buffalo teachers overwhelmingly have ratified a new contract with the Buffalo Schools, just days after the Board of Education unanimously approved the long-awaited deal.
The contract was approved by 98.7% of the 1,877 teachers that voted Monday at Kleinhans Music Hall. The deal which will increase the average teacher salary to over $90,000 annually and provide a one-time 10% signing bonus.
The scene at Kleinhans that evening was electric, as there were cars parked for blocks and crowds of teachers by the hundreds cheering and high-fiving as they went in to cast their vote. Some were waiting in line for nearly an hour to cast their ballot.
"Inside, it's a very positive atmosphere, we're union strong. We're all coming together," said Marcia Nigro, a 17-year educator working at McKinley High School.
"We're really glad to have this contract ratified and I think most people are very happy with it. You can't please everyone, but for the most part, people are excited. We are worth our money."
"I spend my energy and time in the classroom and focusing on teaching," said Franky Scaglione, a teacher from the MST High School.
"I don't like to think too much about this and worry about it, I'm really thankful that we have the union that does that on their behalf. It's nice to kind of get this out of the way and get back to business in the classroom."
Negotiations have been embroiled for several years with the teachers working without a new contract since 2019. Was it worth the wait?
"That's kind of a double-edged sword," admits Nigro.
"Yes, the wait is always worth it. But at the same time, we should have been paid fair for many, many years. We haven't had a contract in a long time. And before that, it was even longer. So I guess we should be happy. But at the same time, we show up every day, we do the job and we do it well. We do work on one of the best districts and what we have and what we do, you can't measure up to any place anywhere."
The contract does address back pay and you can read the full contract here.
As the teaching shortage is still a prevalent issue in the nation, the district and the teachers agree this is a great way for Buffalo Public Schools to garner more talented teachers.
"We can compete! We can compete with the suburbs where we couldn't before," said Judy Ilson, an educator working at Hutch Tech.
President of the BTF, Phil Rumore, said there were a couple deciding factors that went into supporting this contract in particular.
"The last two things we got was back pay until September, which was like a week ago, and three weeks ago, we got the three steps knocked off. That's basically what made the big difference."
Another important factor was health care. The contract will provide health insurance to retirees for current teachers and new hires until July 1, 2026
Rumore commends the work of Superintendent of Buffalo Schools, Dr. Tonja Williams, for coming to the table with the negotiating team.
"One of the things that helped was having a superintendent at the table. She really was trying to -- as she always says -- try to understand. We had disagreements, there were things that she would not agree to. But the whole atmosphere at negotiations change when she started sitting out at the table. I think that says a lot for her leadership style. I thank her for being a leader that wanted to do what was right," Rumore said.
Rumore cast the last ballot about three hours following the start of the vote, which was met with a great round of applause. More teachers were trying to get in and vote but the doors closed before 8 o'clock.
Rumore will be retiring from his position as union president this year after serving in the position for over 40 years.
"This is not what I was planning to do with my life. When I retire, one of the first things I'm gonna do is go back to the original work that I did on relativity theory," Rumore said.
President of Buffalo Teachers Federation, Phil RumoreMax Faery - WBEN
