Magistrate mulls impasse between Broward County teachers, school district

By Kathy Bushouse and Akilah Johnson | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
January 20, 2009

Broward's public school teachers started 2009 without a new contract, as the school district and teachers' union remain locked in a fight over raises.

But a break in the monthslong impasse could come soon, after the two sides met in a hearing with a special magistrate last week. The magistrate took testimony from school district and union witnesses, and has 30 days to issue a ruling. The Broward County Click here for restaurant inspection reports School Board will then vote to approve or reject the magistrate's recommendations.

The union declared an impasse to negotiations last October, after the two sides failed to reach an agreement over raises for the 2009-10 school year. Both sides had earlier agreed to a 3.25-percent increase for this school year, after the district initially said there was no money for raises.

District officials said that with budget cuts looming from the state, they couldn't guarantee raises for the 2009-10 school year. Broward Schools Superintendent James Notter said state education officials warned him to expect as much as $120 million in cuts for the upcoming school year.


Union officials say the district can afford teacher raises next year, and that they've identified unused pots of money for them — as much as $65 million.

"We're not blind to the fact that Florida is in financial straits, as well as the United States," said Broward Teachers Union President Pat Santeramo. "All we get from Notter is 'I'm not comfortable,' and that's not good enough for me."

More than 200 teachers took their demands for more money to the streets with a sidewalk protest Thursday in front of the Tamarac Community Center, where the impasse hearing took place.

Jayeson Owen, 31, a teacher at Bright Horizons Education Center in Pompano Beach, said teachers aren't looking to get rich — just to be able to afford their homes and cars without working two or three jobs.

"We're not asking to live in million-dollar homes and drive Corvettes," he said while standing along Commercial Boulevard. "We're asking to be able to afford the modest homes we do have."

Kathy Bushouse can be reached at kbushouse@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4556.

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