Career Technology Center teachers to strike

BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL (STAFF WRITER)
Published: October 28, 2009

Font size: [A] [A] [A]

After a year of negotiations have failed to produce a contract, teachers at the Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County will strike starting at 4 p.m. today.

The school's 36 teachers have been working without a contract since September 2008, and remaining issues include the salary scale des-ign and equity, and the school calendar.

About 700 students attend CTC from the nine districts that are members of the consortium - Carbondale Area, Dunmore, Forest City Regional, Lakeland, Mid Valley, North Pocono, Riverside, Scranton and Valley View. Other districts, including Abington Heights, Mountain View, Lackawanna Trail, Holy Cross High School and the Scranton School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children, send students to CTC.

"Nobody seems to care about the children," said Rosemary Boland, president of the Scranton Federation of Teachers and the CTC union negotiator.

Students attend CTC for a half-day in one of 23 vocational and technical programs and attend their home districts for core academic courses for the remaining part of the day.

During the strike, the students who attend CTC will spend their entire day at their home schools, where they will be given other work and projects to do, CTC administrative director Vincent Nallo said.

While students will still be going to school for the required 180 days, students enrolled in the cosmetology and nurse aide programs may not be able to receive the required amount of classroom hours for program certification, Mr. Nallo said.

The students may have to go to night school or another technical school, he added.

At a negotiating session Monday night, the team from CTC said it had no authority to agree on outstanding contract issues and would need 10 days to bring those issues to the CTC board - which is too long for the union to wait, Ms. Boland said.

Mr. Nallo said it takes that long to assemble the board, and before the board can approve the contract, directors must take it back to their home district boards for a vote. Each district in the CTC consortium has one member on the board.

Two of the biggest issues remaining include salary scale design - the union says some teachers make more than top scale - and the creation of a uniform school calendar by the 2010-11 school year.

Teachers have pushed for it, but CTC officials have said that because students from districts across the area attend CTC, the dates when students go back to school, have vacations and end school for the summer vary.

In a fact finders report released earlier this month, teachers sought salary increases of 8 percent per year in each year of the five-year agreement, which the union said would bring CTC teachers in line with teachers in the sending districts.

The CTC has offered a pool of money which would result in an average increase of 3.5 percent per year in each year the contract. At negotiations Monday night, Ms. Boland said the union decreased the salary demand significantly.

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com

Ads by Yahoo!

Hay tax payers and mr. and mrs. tomeo how dare you accuse these teachers of using the kids as leverge. as a couple students said it's the administrations that are corupt so don't you dare accuse these teachers of using us. i am a student and i realy dontlike people who talk bad of others. so keep your commentsd to your self

Report

Lunaria mcintosh, 10/30/09 02:12

I am a cosmetology student at CTC and I need 1250 hours and this whole strike is making me miss out on that! Its stupid that Mr. Nallo will not sign the contract. And he is crazy if he thinks that Im going to a night class or another technical school! Because i got alot of money and time invested into my class at CTC!! And I think that its brave that the teachers are willing to strike instead of sitting there and taking what he is throwing their way! and i apsolutely love the teachers there!! and they dont deserve this at all!! so Mr. Nallo sign the stupid contract!!!

Report

Helena Edwards, 10/30/09 02:01

I am in the cooking class and i came to votech to learn how to cook not to stay home school and do nothing all day. Mr. nallo is a self center man because he refuses to sign the contract. Hello people we are there to learn not learn that because of mr. nallo we cann't complete our education. in order for me to graduate and attend the college i want to go to i need 3 years of votech or 4 years of a job and i chose votech. so mr. nallo needs to get his butt moving and get that contract signed because i garentee that a lot of kids are not happy about his disission. I Like my teachers and the kids i go to school with. So please MR.NALLO gET THAT CONTRACT SIGNED BEFORE YOU GET EVEN MORE KIDS ANGRIER AND THATS SAYING SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Report

CAROLYNN MCINTOSH, 10/30/09 01:58

I am a junior at CTC and I love it there the teachers are amazing it's the administration that is corrupt. Since the strike I go to school and do my morning classes like usual, then when i would usually be leaving for vo-tech I go to a study hall where i spend the rest of my day. I sit there from 11:30 until 3:15 doing absolutely nothing. And yes all my classwork/homework is already done.

Report

Anonymous, 10/29/09 11:51

CTC is a small flicker compaired to what it was in the past. The wrong people got on top and steered it into a different direction. Now the upper positioned people are the one left cleaning up the mess that their predessesors created..I do belive they should be paid more but not entirely much more, face it highschool teachers need degrees, in votech you may not need one but you need experience in the field. Their are many tradeoffs-

Report

Bob Seager, 10/29/09 02:13

Report

Bob Seager, 10/29/09 02:13

Im the nurse aid program and i need twice as many hours but i understand the teacher point. Get them the contract Nallo this is all because of you our future is in our hands we have to sit at our schools and watch our teachers fight for something that should have been fixed a year ago. Nice job u screwed us students over and all your teachers over.

Report

alexa joan, 10/29/09 01:24

i am a student in the cosmetology class at ctc nn its my junior year i think this i stupit that they wont give them the benifits. its not like they have to pay out of there own pockets for the teachers cus be us goin our schools pay for the money to keep the school open. so just sign the stupit contracted already cus i wonuld the to get the hours that u guys r maken me miss. this is so stupit.

Report

katie edwards, 10/29/09 01:22

I agree with Candra...

Report

CTC student, 10/29/09 12:31

Okay, half of you people have no idea what is going on, so you can keep you mouths shut. I attend CTC for cosmetology and yes I do need my hours, but my teacher and all the other teachers deserve to be paid every penny they make. My teacher loves what she does. We chose to attend CTC and that's our future. I am going to college to further my education. Our education is very important, but they need this strike or else everything's just going to get worse. And yes, we do have very pore administration.

Report

CTC student., 10/28/09 11:24

I am a junior at CTC and I am in the electrical program. I think all of these teachers and aids are well qualified, and are the best teachers that you can find. They deserve to get what they earn, and it isn't fair to put them what they are going through. Our homeschools pay money so we can get the trades we want, and this is not fair to us(the students) who now have to give up there class time to sit in a gym. give them what they want!

Report

CTC Student, 10/28/09 11:06

Here we go again,

When you are the lowest paid teachers in Lackawanna County your pension package does not look so good. Thank you for acknowledging the work of teachers and the importance of CTC. If you'd like earn your certifications in education then you too can teach and earn that "great" pension package of which you speak. Teach for America is always looking for future educators, for all those making comments on the ease of this career.

Report

Night, 10/28/09 10:35

I attend CTC for cosmetology. It is my second year. All of you arrogant, self-centered, anti union people have absolutely no idea what your talking about. I am 16 years old and I am not the smartest child ever, but if you had at least half of the brain I do, then maybe you would have some sort of an idea of what your talking about. The teachers at CTC, are absolutely amazing. My teacher, Ms. Martinelli has taught me everything she knows so far, and anything I want to know is open for me to learn. We "children" are the future. Without us whose going to cut your hair, install your toilets, build houses, etc.. Because of Mr. Nallo's selfish decisions, how are some of these students supposed to graduate? In my class we need 1250 hours in order to take our state boards. I am missing a lot of hours because of this. I am going to have to sit at my home school for an unnecessary 3 hours, and do absolutely nothing. The time I could be doing to practice what I want to do with my life, and what I'm good at. You ignorant haters have nothing better to do with your lives then to sit here and complain about what YOU think is right. You try sitting in my teacher's shoes, or my shoes... Or in my cosmetology class even, and your whole pessimistic perspective will surely have changed. Our teachers have a skill that they're willing to pass on to us, so their can be a future and people have the nerve to say their greedy? They deserve much more than what their getting to teach us these trades.

Report

Candra Castellani ;), 10/28/09 10:07

Why would it take ten days to bring issues to the CTC Board, shouldn’t some of them been part of the negations? Those who were not should have been kept up to date immediately. How hard could it be to get the board together? Well maybe it could, take a look at the meeting minutes most don’t show. The school is also in need of a renovation to the tune of 20 million dollars, where has the money gone over the years that should have been keeping the school somewhat up to date? I also understand there are students at the school who have grade school reading level, how does this happen? What kind of life are these kids going to have in today’s world? Where are the school standards? Doesn’t anyone care? Even if it’s one child it’s to many, it should not happen. The home school and the parents are at fault and the CTC School should be taking action in these cases. The trades and type of courses the school offers are hard to out-source to other countries and with this country on the brink of an infrastructure rebuild these are the future. The CTC School should be a stepping-stone to higher education tech schools. The school is an area jewel and should be promoted as such but what we have is poorly run school and another area teacher strike. Maybe it’s time for a management change and get people who are progressive and in touch and get rid of the has-beens. It's only a matter of time before the feds work their way up from Luzerne County.

Report

not again, 10/28/09 08:46

This is my sophmore year at ctc. this is a start to my future. if you keep the strike up i wont have my hours i need for Cosmetology! i learned so much so far . and i dont want to see it end . and i think that my teacher is doing a great job and i would like this not to happen. thank you

Report

Jessie p, 10/28/09 08:29

you guys are so wrong. ctc is the best thing that has ever happened to me this year. i may only be a sophmore but i have leard alot in cosmo so far . we have the best time in class and i have the best teacher i can ask for she teaches us alot. i didn't know how to use curling irons and stuff like that till i started ctc. i got to ctc so some day i can have my own business in cosmo. i think the teachers at ctc are doing a great job and i am learing keep up the good work. please dont strike thank you.

Report

Jessie p, 10/28/09 08:21

YES THE TEACHERS ARE LUCKY THEY HAVE THEIR JOBS BUT HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF HOW MANY HOURS GOING TO SCHOOL, STUDYING, AND TIME ON THE JOB THEY'VE DONE TO STAY THEIR. I'M A STUDENT AT CTC CURRENTLY AND MY TEACHERS ARE THE BEST WE POSSIBLE COULD GET. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU ASK FOR HELP THEIR WILLING TO STAY AND GIVE THAT EXTRA MILE . EVEYONE THINKS THEY HAVE SO MUCH TIME OF IN THE SUMMER DON'T YOU THINK SOME OF THAT TIME IS PREPARING FOR THE NEXT CLASS THAT COMES IN OR KEEPING THEIR INFORMATION CURRENT. NURSING EXP. IS ALWAYS CHANGING ALWAYS NEW STUFF TO LEARN SO DON'T BE AFOOL WHEN YOU SAY THEY DON'T DESERVE WHAT THEY'RE ASKING THEY DESERVE EVERY PENNY AND THEN SOME. WE PAY THE SCHOOL A NICE TUITION THEY SHOULD DO THE SAME PASS IT ALONG. TEACHERS GOOD LUCK SEE YOU HOPEFULY SOON. ADMINISTRATION PLEASE ALSO KNOW THIS ISN'T FAIR AS ADULTS WE HAVE SCHEDULES TO MEET, CHILDREN AT HOME, DAYCARE PLANS, EDUCATIONAL GOALS FOR INCOME WE CAN'T AFFORD FOR OUR EDUCATION TO WAIT. NOR CAN OUR PATIENTS IN THE HOSPITAL NEEDING BETTER CARE NURSES TO SHORT TO GIVE PLEASE CARE FOR OTHERS NOT JUST YOURSELF.

Report

JASPNLEVEL1, 10/28/09 06:49

bring in the SCABS/

Report

i need a job, 10/28/09 06:36

Teaching is an extremely important job, no one will disagree. CTC is also a very important school. However, before anyone lables these teachers as underpaid please layout their total compensation package to include their pension.

Report

Here we go again!, 10/28/09 05:04

Wrong. I'm not a teacher. I do, though, remember being a student and I have children with teachers. I respect what teachers do for our kids. I've coached kids from 5 to 18 years old in basketball and baseball and I have an idea what they deal with everyday. Coaching sports if fun because it's just a game, but the education of our youth is serious business. I don't know what management makes. All I am saying is that if the teachers are underpaid, undervalued and disrespected the education of our children will suffer greatly. I just hope for the best for my kids and all of their friends. Are having talented, inspired and happy teachers too much to ask?

Report

Anonymous, 10/28/09 03:58

Career Technology Center teachers to strike

Wastewater Treatment

university career centers

Be a School Teacher

55 posted comments

1/2 OFF NEPA

Home for the Holidays Contest

Manhunt ends in West Scranton

Manhunt ends in West Scranton


Site Web