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Carmel board rejects teachers' memorandum of agreement offering short-term concessions
Summary
The Carmel Teachers Association proposed a two-year package of concessions that would have yielded roughly $1.9 million in savings over two years in exchange for a contract extension; trustees voted down a board resolution to approve the MOA on March 26.
The Carmel Central School District Board of Education debated and rejected a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Carmel Teachers Association (CTA) on March 26.
Administration presented the MOA as a package: for year one the CTA proposed reducing next year's negotiated raise to 1% (instead of 2%), deferring step increases six months and forgiving roughly $500,000 in required welfare-fund contributions; teachers also proposed modest increases in health-care employee contributions. Administration estimated those concessions would produce roughly $1.2 million in savings in year one and about $700,000 in year two, approximately $1.9 million across two years.
In return the CTA sought a two-year extension of the contract with future raises tied to a CPI-based floor/ceiling and a higher health-care contribution in year four. Several trustees said the short-term savings did not justify extending the district's contract for more years and tying future increases to CPI given recent healthcare inflation and the district's high compensation levels. Trustee Curzio and others warned that an extension could lock in higher long-term costs and reduce the board's ability to negotiate future terms.
The board voted on a resolution to approve the MOA. Roll-call results: Vice President Crocco: Yes; President Dahl: Yes; Trustee Curzio: No; Trustee Douglas: Yes; Trustee Orser: No; Trustee Paraskeva: No; Trustee Wise: No. The resolution failed on a 3-4 vote. CTA President Dave Zupan had told the board the association ' which recently ratified a three-year contract in 2023 ' offered the package voluntarily to help the district during the budget crisis; he urged the board to accept the concessions and continue working cooperatively.
What's next: Trustees asked the CTA and administration to continue discussions; several trustees indicated a willingness to consider alternative offers that produce longer-term structural savings rather than a short-term extension.
