Teachers’ union offers concessions but board votes down memorandum of agreement

The Carmel Teachers Association (CTA) asked the Board of Education to approve a memorandum of agreement that would give the district near‑term savings in exchange for a multi‑year extension.

Administration staff and CTA representatives described the package as delivering district savings in year one and year two through a combination of smaller annual increases, deferred step increments and a temporary forgiveness of a welfare‑fund obligation. Administration summarized the district impact as roughly $1.2 million in year one and a smaller amount in year two — about $1.9 million over two years by administration’s estimate. The CTA asked for a two‑year extension of the existing contract, with future raises tied to the consumer‑price index and an increased healthcare contribution later in the extension.

Several trustees said the short‑term savings were welcome but argued the agreement would constrain the district’s ability to manage longer‑term salary and healthcare costs. Trustee Curzio told colleagues he could not support extending the contract given current CPI trends, and others said a small increase in teacher health‑care contributions (a half‑percentage point next year, per the MOA summary) would not offset projected health‑care inflation.

The board voted on a resolution to approve the MOA. Roll call: Vice President Crocco and President Dahl voted yes, Trustee Douglas voted yes; Trustees Curzio, Orser, Paraskeva and Wise voted no. The resolution failed 3–4.

CTA president Dave Zupin told the board the union had offered concessions voluntarily and estimated total savings of "2.5 to $3,000,000 over the next two years" when including retirement incentives; he urged the board to accept the offer. Several trustees urged the CTA to return to the table with further adjustments. The administration said the MOA was presented to trustees in an executive session over the prior weekend and was walked onto the agenda as a discussion item for public consideration.

What’s next: Trustees left open the possibility of further negotiation; the board asked administration to publish comparative figures and the offers from other bargaining units before Thursday’s budget work session so trustees can weigh additional trade‑offs.