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Ithaca teachers’ union outlines priorities as negotiations move to open bargaining
Summary
The Ithaca Teachers Association told the board it has begun open (transparent) bargaining with the district, outlined priorities — health and safety, time for teachers, leave benefits, and raises for mid- and late-career teachers — and said negotiators aim to finalize a successor agreement before the June 30 contract expiration.
The Ithaca Teachers Association (ITA) presented an update on collective bargaining at the Feb. 25 Ithaca City School District board meeting, announcing a new open-bargaining process, a tentative schedule and the union’s chief priorities for a successor contract.
Catherine Cinera, ITA president, said the union and district have agreed to "transparent negotiations" (open bargaining) with sessions scheduled in afternoons and evenings, livestreamed to the public and summarized in writing. The ITA said it aims to complete bargaining and member ratification in time to present a ratified agreement to the board for approval before June 30, when the current contract expires; negotiators are working toward a June 12 target to allow for member voting and board ratification.
Union speakers at the table listed several priorities developed through member input: classroom health and safety (including ventilation and maintenance), increased time for professional work during contractual hours, improved family- and medical-leave provisions, manageable workloads for specialized staff (speech pathologists, counselors, therapists and others), and salary changes to better retain mid- and late-career teachers. The ITA characterized the salary issue as the single largest driver of teacher departures and said the current salary scale "plateaus" in mid- and late-career steps; the union said it has a plan and budgetary means to address that plateau.
Catherine Cinera emphasized the connection between teacher working conditions and student outcomes: "teacher working conditions are student learning conditions," she said, and the ITA urged the district to prioritize retention and workload supports.
The ITA also thanked the district for seeking an increased contribution from Cornell University and said it would continue collaborative work with district leadership. No formal board action was taken at the meeting; the presentation functioned as information and an invitation for the public to observe forthcoming bargaining sessions. ITA negotiators said the next open session would include salary discussions and the public was invited to watch or attend under announced rules of the room.
Ending: The union and district are proceeding with open bargaining; the schedule, public livestreams and an explicit mid-June timeline set expectations for both members and the public about when a ratified agreement could reach the board.
