Teachers Get Ready For Contract Negotiations

A group of city public school teachers turned out to the latest Board of Education meeting to call for more respect, higher wages, and lower class sizes — as they get ready to dive in to negotiations for a new union contract.

Over a dozen speakers put forward those demands Monday during the school board’s meeting at King/Robinson School in Newhallville. 

Some of the educators who spoke up said that their years of experience working in the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) district has not translated to a livable wage that can fully cover their rent, leaving some working second jobs. Others raised concerns about working in decaying buildings that are poorly maintained, even after public outcry. 

The testimony came a week before the teachers union — the New Haven Federation of Teachers, Local 933, AFT, AFL-CIO — is set to begin negotiations with the district over a new contract. The union’s current contract is set to expire on June 30, 2026. That deal included a nearly 15 percent pay hike over the term of its three years, and saw starting salaries for new New Haven teachers who have a bachelor’s degree rise to $51,421.

In a comment sent to the Independent on Tuesday, NHPS spokesperson Justin Harmon said the district’s goal is to work towards creating the best possible working environment for educators. 

“Like the teachers, we want the fairest possible contract with the best possible compensation,” he said. ​“Together with the teachers union, we have been advocating with our state representatives for the best possible funding that could help us realize these important objectives. That will be an ongoing effort. In the meantime, we will negotiate in good faith with the teachers union and do our best to achieve our common goals.”

City teachers union President Leslie Blatteau kicked off the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting by reminding school leaders that teacher contract negotiations start next week. 

She reported that while teacher recruitment has been happening and educator salaries have slightly increased over the years, teachers are still broadly concerned about their current working conditions. 

She said the union worked with the group Educators Thriving to survey 1,450 city teachers and found that only 8 percent feel their buildings have enough staffing to ​“adequately meet students’ needs.” 

She reported that only 15 percent said they have the resources to meet students’ required IEP/504 support-plan needs. When it comes to wages, the union found that only 10 percent of educators feel their total salary compensation is adequate to the work they do. The survey also reportedly showed 1 in 4 educators spend over $500 a year on classroom supplies and 64 percent spend over $200.

“Our members ranked job stress higher than job satisfaction,” Blatteau said. 

She concluded by requesting that the district have a more transparent budget process and that it maintain close, clear, and honest communication with staff about major factors influencing working conditions at NHPS.

New Haven Academy Spanish teacher Hanna Marshall told the board Monday that she lives paycheck to paycheck. She said she’s not alone among NHPS educators in living that way. 

Marshall said she’s been ​“forced” to seek a second job to help pay her bills after a decade of service to the district. ​“After ten years teaching in New Haven and a masters degree, I still only take home about a $1,500 check,” she said. 

She said that she has a basic insurance plan and no retirement fund, making it so ​“at this point after ten years I still feel like I won’t be able to retire with what I currently have if it keeps going the way it’s going.” 

She and a dozen other speakers Monday urged the board to prioritize increasing teacher salaries. 

“I love my school and I love New Haven but I feel like right now New Haven doesn’t love me,” she said.

Marshall recalled speaking up at a board meeting a year ago to relay concerns about New Haven Academy’s staff bathroom locks not working. She said those still haven’t been repaired, ​“which means every time I have to use the bathroom I’m afraid that someone’s going to burst in on me, and there could be students in the hallway which there often is because that’s the time we have to go to the bathroom.” 

She requested that the next teacher contract include required maintenance updates to staff. 

East Rock and FAME school library media specialist Anneliese Juergensen called on the district to support its library educators, who work on the front lines of improving literacy among students. They also work as last-minute substitute teachers, manage libraries, and teach youth media literacy on a daily basis.

Gillian Lynch, who teaches music at Nathan Hale School, and Marissa Iezzi, who teaches band at Mauro Sheridan School, said they are asked often why they stay in New Haven to teach. 

Iezzi recalled leaving New Haven once for a school district ten miles away and immediately seeing differences in support for educators. She told the board on Monday that only a fair contract will keep passionate educators — like those who showed up to the school board meeting — working for the district. She concluded that educators soon will not be able to afford to live in New Haven. 

High School in the Community history teacher Ben Scudder called for transparency with the district’s budget. He also called for the board to respond to speakers during public comment, similar to what happens during Board of Alders meetings.

Theresa Purdie said she’s brought home smaller paychecks this year because of ​“skyrocketing” health insurance costs. She also called on the board to make its budget transparent.

Co-op English teacher Katie Yates said she dreams of a day when educators will be valued, all school buildings will be safe, the community will have a better understanding of the district’s budget, the administration supports educators, and NHPS has a fair and equitable teachers union contract. 

Japhet Gonzalez, a student at HSC, shared his frustration Monday about having to testify in support of the school board rather than spending his time applying for colleges, running his school’s magazine club, and just being a teenager. He said that educators shouldn’t have to spend time advocating for a fair contract either. ​“They shouldn’t be here, but they are because teachers do so much more work than [what] they’re paid for,” he said. ​“They don’t quit when things get hard or do things for money. But they shouldn’t have to chose between caring about us and making enough money to support themselves and their families.” 

ESUMS seventh-grade English teacher Katie Romanchick said Monday that she too lives paycheck to paycheck, and is only able to pay her rent in full because she works as a cross country and track coach in Trumbull, as well.