Colleagues,
Welcome back. I hope that you’ve had a restful and fun summer recess. Here’s an initial update on some developments and issues:
– Superintendent’s Conference Days. We reached out to Superintendent Rosser on August 4th and urged him to provide teachers on the September 1st and 2nd Superintendent’s Conference Days some meaningful and substantial time to work in their classrooms, unencumbered by any mandatory meetings or professional development, to prepare for their students and for the beginning of the new school year. Unfortunately, Dr. Rosser declined our request to acknowledge and respect the teachers’ needs and to reconsider his decision. Instead, Sup’t Rosser responded that that teachers might have 90 minutes time to work in their classrooms on September 2nd and that “principals will provide time for teachers to prepare for the arrival of students, including arranging classrooms and completing other back-to-school preparations” on September 1st. But the District’s published schedule for that day leaves no room for teachers to work in their classrooms because all their time will be encumbered by mandatory meetings and imposed professional development sessions. So much for RCSD’s Central Office responsiveness.
– Negotiations Impasse. After ten negotiations meetings during the summer, the District remains unresponsive to virtually all RTA proposals and continues to act as if the District were not in rapid decline. Our position is that the District’s current fiscal capacity (more than $1.1Billion budget and a reserve of $312Million 85% of which is unencumbered) should be used to make schools safer, to make class sizes smaller, to make teachers’ salaries much more competitive, and to provide our students the services that they need and deserve. Instead, the District is rejecting all that while misrepresenting their budget, demanding concessions in health benefits, proposing to curb teachers’ rights and professional discretion, insisting on a longer school day and year, and doing nothing about school safety. That is why we are now preparing to file for a Declaration of Impasse with the NYS Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) who can assign an impartial mediator to help resolve the impasse.
– Triborough Salary Placement. Until a successor contract is successfully negotiated, the Triborough Amendment to NYS Taylor Law requires that all the provisions of the expired contract continue to remain in effect unless expressly sunset with a specific date. That includes the scheduled increments in salary. See the Triborough Salary Placement chart attached below to determine what your initial salary will be until the full increases are negotiated. Everyone will advance to the next (down) level of our 2025-2026 salary. That amount will be increased to a new level once the newly negotiated raises are ratified. If you have questions or need assistance determining your salary placement, please contact RTA’s John Pavone <pavrta@aol.com>, Martha Keating <maskerade6@aol.com>, or any of the RTA officers. You can also access the excellent FB post by RTA’s Matt Lavonas that explains how you can determine the Triborough portion of your salary increase <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz9RGHpovHc>.
– Retention Incentive. As part of last year’s one-year contract extension, ratified in July of last year, we negotiated a $2,500 Retention Incentive for RTA members who were active in the RCSD on June 1, 2025 and remain employed through September 15, 2026. That incentive will be paid out, in a separate check, this September. The District did not yet confirm the exact date. RTA members who have been employed at the RCSD for only portion of the school year will be paid a pro-rated portion of the incentive. For more information, or if you need assistance, please contact any of the RTA officers.
– Labor Day Parade. Please join us for the Annual Rochester Labor Day Parade on Monday, September 7th. The parade begins at 11am but the line-up begins at 9:30am. We will gather across from the RTA and NYSUT building (30 North Union Street). Wear an RTA t-shirt if you have one. Bring family, friends and colleagues. Once there, be sure to ask about free tickets to that day’s Red Wings game (4pm) that includes a buffet, games, and lots of fun. Those RTA members who actually march in the parade will qualify to receive the tickets and the wrist band for entrance to Frontier Field. We’ll have approximately 50 tickets so “first come first served.” Contact RTA’s Margaret Sergent <mmsergent@rochesterteachers.com> or Aimee Rinere <arinere@rochesterteachers.com> for further information.
We wish you a successful beginning of the new school year. As always, we will continue to keep you informed about the progress of our efforts on your behalf. With our solidarity, and your continued support, we will achieve our goals for our profession, for our schools, and for our students.
Adam Urbanski, RTA President