A CSA DEAL, AT LONG LAST

A CSA Deal, At Long Last

At first glance, the tentative contract for the Council of Supervisors and Administrators announced as this newspaper went to press April 23 offered union members a significant and long-overdue raise while giving Schools Chancellor Joel Klein two important changes.

One of those changes will also benefit some of the Principals under the CSA banner: beyond regular merit pay awards of up to $25,000 it offers an added bonus of up to $25,000 to those who agree to work in high-needs schools and produce significant improvements in student achievement.

The Chancellor also gained a provision under which - assuming the deal is ratified by union members - Assistant Principals with seniority could no longer be forced on a Principal. The CSA had previously charged that Mr. Klein was committing an unfair labor practice by directly appealing to Principals by letter to support such a change. His desire to place the focus on merit and compatibility rather than seniority was previously reflected in a contract change affecting Teachers.

One break between the CSA and the United Federation of Teachers - which used three separate contracts to cover much of the same period as the marathon 80-month tentative deal, which is retroactive to July 1, 2003 - was the decision by new President Ernie Logan to accept a $4,000 lump-sum payment as part of the economic package. That is part of the reason that the 23.16 percent in compounded raises falls short of the hikes for UFT members over the same period.

As with Teachers, supervisors at all levels would have to increase their workdays - in their case by 15 minutes - and the number of days worked, losing a floating holiday and Brooklyn/Queens Day for members in those boroughs. Supervisors will also be required to attend 25 hours' worth of conferences and meetings outside the normal school schedule.

Given the acrimonious relationship between the two sides, it may be particularly relevant that the deal would expire March 5, 2010. That means that the next time the CSA goes to the bargaining table, it will be dealing with a different Mayor and, presumably, a different Chancellor.