After a year of negotiations and three meetings with a mediator the Levittown School Board and the Levittown United Teachers have come up with a contract settlement.

The LUT began negotiating with the school district in May 1997 and were working without a contract since July of that year. In April 1998 Charles Kemnitzer, the president of the LUT, which is a part of Local Union 1383 of the AFT, declared that the district and the union reached an impasse. With this declaration of impasse came the announcement that the two parties agreed to bring in a mediator to help settle the contract. The mediator was an impartial party who was certified by the state.

The mediator met with both parties three times between May and July. In July the mediator came up with a proposal with her recommendations for a settlement, which took into account the interests of both sides. This proposal was not binding and had to be approved by both the district and the LUT.

The proposal was reviewed by both parties independently over the summer and in August both the school board and the LUT agreed to the mediator's proposal. The agreement then had to be ratified by both the board and the teachers' union.

On the afternoon of Sept. 23 the Levittown United Teachers ratified the agreement with a vote of 464-34 in favor of the settlement. That same evening, at a special meeting, the Levittown Board of Education approved the settlement with a 7-0 vote.

The terms of the four year contract remain basically the same as the previous contract with a few changes. One change is a wage increase of 2 percent as of Feb. 1998, a 2.5 percent increase for the '98-'99 school year, a 3 percent raise for the '99-'00 school year, and a 3.25 percent increase for the '00-'01 school year. The contract also includes a longevity step raise of $1,000 for all teachers at steps 26 and above. There were also salary lanes eliminated from the salary schedules. There was also a productivity issue that the district wanted and that was met by an agreement to increase the school day, beginning next year, by 18 minutes. Superintendent Herman Sirois commented that the 18 minute increase, "is a very positive thing for everyone all around."

Kemnitzer stated, "I am very relieved that it was settled. I'm glad that we didn't have to go through the unfortunate circumstances that you see in places like Plainedge and Massapequa."

Throughout the contract negotiations the teachers continued on as though they were working under the old contract. They continued to take part in after school events and only picketed once. The picketing took place before the May school board meeting and was a show of support for Kemnitzer and the rest of the negotiating team. According to Kemnitzer the teachers did not want to disrupt the students or the schools in any way. Sirois stated, "The teachers have been very professional throughout the whole contract negotiations."

"I think both parties, both the district and the teachers' union, acted with professionalism and restraint and a mutual respect," said Kemnitzer. "I think that helped us to work through this and do it in a very peaceful manner that I think addresses the issues that both sides really wanted."

According to Sirois, "The conclusion of the contract gave everyone's morale a boost because it is over and there is now a four year contract, with three of those years remaining."

Kemnitzer concluded, "I am appreciative of the support that the teachers gave to me and the negotiating team and I'm also appreciative of the school board and the district administration's role in wanting to settle this and to do this in a fair and reasonable manner."