NOT ALL DISTRICTS RESPONDING TO
ADMINISTRATOR SHORTAGE

While the majority of school districts are reacting to the administrator shortage with more equitable compensation, this response is not universal. A number of ESSAA units are in prolonged negotiations, including mediation and fact-finding. Even excellent settlements, such as Wappingers, resulted only after impasse was declared and a mediator brought in to resolve the contract.

One thing units can do is educate their own boards of education. In non-contract years, the Association should try and make a presentation to the board highlighting what the administrators have accomplished. Too often central office takes credit for positive accomplishments, while blaming administrators for problems. As educators, educating the board should be our first priority. If a meeting isnt feasible, send the board members a written report outlining the units accomplishments.

Knowing what the comparative data show is also of great importance. Are the positions in your unit disproportionate to the county, to comparable districts [however that is defined], or to the rankings of your teachers or central office administrators? By knowing as much of that information as possible, your unit can attempt to select the most favorable rationale in support of its proposals.

However, sometimes neither logic nor fairness prevail. The job of your negotiating team is to bring the Association membership [agency fee payers cannot vote or otherwise participate in contract negotiations] the best package they can negotiate. Once the negotiating team comes to the conclusion that further negotiations will not result in a better settlement, and the settlement is one under the prevailing circumstances that they could support, they should bring the settlement to the membership. As the process is democratic, each member must then decide whether, given the economic and political climate in their district, he or she wishes to vote for the settlement.

On occasion, circumstances dictate that a unit must accept a contract that is less than equitable. Never let the board or superintendent forget it. In the experience of our attorneys, in most cases [a few districts appear permanently anti-administrator] the next settlement makes up for the previous poor one. It is important to continually agitate over the life of that settlement about how unhappy the administrators are over their treatment.

The final point to remember is that ESSAA exists to insure that administrators receive the finest legal and negotiating services possible. To that end, ESSAA has retained three of the most experienced labor attorney/ negotiators in the state. Always involve your ESSAA attorney in negotiations, even if your unit negotiates directly with your district. The attorneys have both broad experience in developing proposals and the rationale to support them. More importantly, the attorneys can assist in devising a negotiating strategy based upon the particular circumstances of your unit.