TPS, administrators may have deal

Proposed contract mirrors teachers' concessions

7/2/2011

Toledo Public Schools reached a tentative agreement on a contract with its administrators' union during the same week the district and its teachers union accepted a fact finder's report.

The two-year agreement would mirror the financial concessions included in the teachers' contract, union president Don Yates said.

Administrators would continue a previous 1 percent pay cut, reduce pay by an additional 2.5 percent, pay a greater share of their health-care costs, and lose 34 positions.

"Our theme from the beginning was equal sacrifice to balance the budget," Mr. Yates said.

The Toledo Association of Administrative Personnel represents the district's principals, counselors, and other nonteaching professionals. After the position cuts, there are about 270 members in the union.

Mr. Yates said union leadership plans to hold a membership meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Woodward High School for a vote on the agreement, which was reached two days ago. Leadership will endorse ratification.

Superintendent Jerome Pecko said he was ready to call a special meeting of the Board of Education for Thursday so board members could vote on the contract, but will wait until a written version of the agreement is signed by leadership on both sides.

At the time, the agreement was verbal, while negotiators finished a written version of the deal. While administrators and the district seem poised to sign a new contract, negotiations with the third and final union representing district employees, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, "still have a way to go," Mr. Pecko said.

AFSCME represents bus drivers, food service workers, secretaries, skilled trades employees, and custodians.

The contract for AFSCME members ended two days ago; employees will keep working under the old contract until a new one is signed.

The district is seeking similar financial concessions from the union as it got from TAAP and the Toledo Federation of Teachers, Mr. Pecko said.

A delay in reaching a new agreement with AFSCME members means the district loses projected savings gained through concessions each day it operates under the old contract.

Contact Nolan Rosenkrans at: nrosenkrans@theblade.com or 419-724-6086.