Hours after teachers demonstrated at schools across the Vineyard Thursday morning, the all-Island school committee learned from chairwoman Kate DeVane that contract negotiations with the teachers union have come to a standstill with state arbitration the only way forward.
Members of the Martha’s Vineyard Educators Association, a local chapter of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, held signs and protested at the start of the school day after rejecting the latest of three offers from the district.
“We have reached an impasse, which we tried to get by three times,” Ms. DeVane told the committee during an hour-long Zoom meeting that drew more than 120 participants early Thursday evening.
“We’ve tried really hard. They’ve tried really hard. We’re now moving to the first step of arbitration, which is called fact finding,” she said.
Teachers and a negotiating committee made up of representatives from the all-Island committee have been in talks over a new three-year contract for Island teachers.
Mike Watts, who with Ms. DeVane represented the district in negotiations, said despite two rounds of state mediation, the two sides have been unable to agree on the annual percentage rate of raises for teachers
The district’s proposed compensation package relies on other factors as well, including longevity and education levels, Mr. Watts said.
“There’s a larger compensation piece that’s connected,” he told committee members.
Ms. DeVane said she would have more information on the fact-finding phase of arbitration next week.
“We are in this impossible position,” she said.
“We understand that it has been incredibly hard for teachers over the last two years. We also understand that they do amazing work every day . . . We don’t relish this,” she continued. “It’s just that we also have a responsibility to the people who have jobs at the supermarket, and the [teaching assistants] and the custodians and the food service workers, and we have a responsibility to taxpayers — that’s really our job,” she said.
“This is our fiduciary duty to the towns we represent, and it’s very, very hard.”
The task became even more complicated this week with a new agreement among all six Island towns that the high school budget increase by no more than 2.5 per cent each year, or seek voter approval to go above that threshold.
The discussion was scheduled to be held in executive session, but members Skipper Manter and Amy Houghton urged that the meeting take place in public.
Ms. Houghton argued that the labor dispute had already become a public matter with the morning demonstrations by teachers.
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The meeting began with an 11-3 vote to appoint Richie Smith as superintendent of schools for two years beginning July 1.
Members Kimberly Kirk, Louis Paciello and Mr. Manter voted against offering the job to Mr. Smith, who has been assistant superintendent for the past seven years.
Voting in favor of the appointment were committee members Roxane Ackerman, Jen Cutrer, Kate DeVane, Amy Houghton, Robert Lionette, Rizwan Malik, Kris O’Brien, Alex Salop, Laura Seguin, Kathryn Shertzer and Mike Watts.
The vote is pending contract negotiations, but Mr. Smith appeared eager to take on the top job after superintendent Dr. Matthew D’Andrea departs for the Wareham district at the end of this month.
“My intention would be working hand in hand with the school committee. It’s going to take all of us to really move to succeed,” he said, adding that he would like to make some changes at the district’s central office — including leaving his current position empty.
“Being a superintendent allows you to be visionary,” he told the committee. “Part of the vision would be to slow down on filling the position that I would vacate, and really consider a restructuring of the central office . . . based on principals’ and school needs.”
The committee also agreed to evaluate Mr. Smith’s performance at the end of one year.
“He has a leg up,” said Ms. Houghton, who chairs the personnel subcommittee.
The decision ends the need to form a search committee for Mr. D’Andrea’s replacement.
While assistant superintendents are optional, state law prohibits school districts from operating without a superintendent in place.
