Ithaca teachers press for extended parental leave; members reject proposals tying leave to multi‑year repayment

The Ithaca Teachers Association pressed for broader parental leave on June 12, proposing that birth‑giving educators be allowed up to 60 days for recovery and bonding by supplementing their own sick days with the district’s sick bank and asking for expanded sick‑bank replenishment options.

Why it matters: negotiated parental‑leave arrangements affect recruitment and retention in a teacher shortage environment and interact with the union’s sick‑bank rules and retiree contributions.

Union negotiators said the current contract allows birth‑giving parents to use up to 30 of their own sick days and support parents up to 15 days; the ITA proposal would let birth‑giving parents use up to 60 of their own sick days, with the sick bank supplementing to reach that total, and raise the non‑birth parent allowance to 30 days. The union also described the sick bank’s current contribution rules: one day contributed annually and up to 15 days contributed at retirement.

The ICSD proposed an alternative the parties discussed in caucus: the district would “loan” additional sick days to birth‑giving staff up front, with forgiveness over time — for example, forgiveness after six years of continued service — and recovery of the loan if the educator left earlier. Union members reacted strongly against that structure during a large members’ meeting: notes read aloud from that meeting said members used language such as “indentured servitude,” and 81% of members reportedly voted to return to the union’s original proposal rather than accept the loan/forgiveness construct.

Union notes captured at the meeting said members’ core objections included distrust that the district would fully repay the sick bank if depleted, concern that using bank days for parental leave would reduce the bank for other illnesses, and the perception that a required multi‑year service obligation would penalize people for having children.

Conversation at the table tried to find middle ground. District negotiators said the proposal of a loan with repayment tied to future service could be a useful retention tool but acknowledged members’ resistance. The parties did not adopt a final agreement and will return to the issue when bargaining resumes.

Speakers quoted in this article: union note taker Aurora (notes read aloud), union negotiators, and ICSD negotiators. Representative quotes included Aurora summarizing members’ feedback: “The word indentured servitude came up a number of times,” and the union’s reported vote: “81% of our members voted to return to our proposal.”

Ending: The parental‑leave proposal remains unresolved; both sides signaled continued interest in finding a workable approach but said they would take the summer to consult members and review alternatives.