Buffalo teachers rally for a new contract

Over a hundred teachers came to City Hall in Buffalo to ask for better wages and more.
A large group of Buffalo teachers gather outside Buffalo City Hall. 08/24/22
A large group of Buffalo teachers gather outside Buffalo City Hall. 08/24/22 Photo credit Max Faery, WBEN

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - There was a large crowd of Buffalo teachers standing outside Buffalo City Hall Wednesday evening. Their request? A call for a better contract and better wages.

According to the organizers of the rally, the Buffalo Teachers Federation, Buffalo teachers are making significantly less than other districts in Erie County. It takes Buffalo school teachers 27 years to get their maximum salary as opposed to the Erie county average of 22 years.

Live On-Air
Ask Your Smart Speaker to Play News Radio 9 30 W B E N
WBEN
Listen Now
Now Playing
Now Playing

"Buffalo teachers are actually, since it takes them 27 years, over $100,000 or more behind in their accrued salaries. That's sick," says Phil Rumore, President of the Buffalo Teacher's Federation.

That isn't the only concern of Buffalo teachers, "The teaching conditions and working conditions aren't exactly [good]. We need more school counselors, school attendance, teachers and psychologists to help the kids, but all we're getting from the district is delayed. We have filed charges against the district three different times for delaying negotiations. This should have been done three years ago," Rumore says.

Rumore says the district has the money to do it, "We have been successful in getting increases in state aid. Fixed increases this year, next year and the year after, so it's a fixed increase and if they don't come in, we have permission to go back to court. The bottom line is if other districts can find a way to pay their teachers a really great salary and wage and reflective of what their hard work, so can Buffalo and so should they."

So what is the hold up for the better wages? Rumore says there he has a meeting on Thursday with a Fact Finder, appointed by the Public Employment Relation Board who will help the teachers and the school board come up with a resolution to the issue and make recommendations.

"The Buffalo teachers deserve to have a contract. They have put time and effort into it, they have done what they're supposed to do and it's time. They have not what they're proposing right now, the idea of cutting healthcare for incoming teachers, you know, workloads and things like this. They can be gotten through, they should be through it, and we should have a contract," says Jim Healy, a teacher at Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, who has been teaching for 24 years.

With the pandemic being the root of most reasons why there is a labor shortage in America right now, Buffalo teachers are saying people are looking for employment elsewhere in public schools with the primary concern being a lack of proper payments. Cassidy McGee and Dayna Boone, new teachers who have been working for two years, said that they've noticed teachers transferring to other districts and their fellow college graduates don't want to come teach in Buffalo.

"Exponentially, not only within our cohort of like graduate school, but just talking to the teachers, either they're transferring going to different schools, or they're just leaving totally BPS," said Dayna Boone.

"I'd like to think that it's not like crazy better in other districts, but you know, looking around and seeing the way that people are just kind of fleeing, I mean, a lot of teachers are leaving teaching entirely. They're completely burned out by it entirely and just don't think that it will be any better anywhere else," said Cassidy McGee.

The demand for teaching positions is there, Rumore says over 150 teachers and staff left Buffalo Public Schools and teachers can't help but to take notice. Teachers are now teaching classes out of the area of expertise to make up for the lack of staff.

"I think we lost three teachers just at my high school during the year," said Marc Bruno, a teacher at Riverside High School. "We lost a guidance counselor and a special education teacher. A lot of teachers are teaching classes outside of their tenure area. Like I'm teaching earth science. I taught geometry last year. I'm a social studies teacher, though. That's a problem. I've never seen anything like this in my 20 years as a Buffalo teacher."

Bruno also highlights the serious issues of not having a contract in place and what teachers deal with on a regular basis.

"I've been a union rep at the school for 20 years as well. So I've kind of seen the ins and outs of the contract negotiation process. We've had one contract in 22 years and I mean, that's inexcusable. I know these Buffalo teachers working conditions that, you know, most people would be shocked by. I usually have 6-7,000 illegal absences, just for my five classes. That means every student I have misses 60 Illegal days of school. We break up fights constantly. It's a very unstable district, there's constant changes."

During the rally, Superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools, Dr. Tonja Williams came and listened to the concerns of the teachers. The board still needs to address the various staff positions, such as the bus driver shortage before the school year starts in now a couple weeks time.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Max Faery, WBEN