United for the Lawrence Teachers Association

“What’s too long? 12 years, no raise, too long!” was the chant from hundreds of teachers and school district employees who crowded Cedarhurst Avenue on a rainy morning last Sunday. They rallied in support of the Lawrence Teachers Association, calling for a resolution to the union’s 12-year-long contract-negotiation stalemate.

The standoff is now the longest in New York state: Lawrence Union Free School District educators have not received salary raises since their last contract expired in 2011. Over the years, they have taken part in walks outside district schools, and union President Rachel     Kreiss said that members have gone as far as to walk with signs at Board of Education trustees’ homes and businesses to get their message across.

After protracted negotiations, contract talks are at an impasse, with several issues standing in the way of an agreement. Lawrence teachers contend that district administrators are calling for the elimination of class size limits, which could impact students’ quality of education and reduce the number of teachers the district needs.

“The board has made it a priority to get rid of the class size restrictions that we fought for so many years ago, and that we’ve been fighting to maintain,” said Melinda Person, executive director of New York State United Teachers. “Research shows that class size is one of the most important things to the quality of the educational program and the ability for educators to build that relationship that’s so important to learning.”

Kreiss — a cousin of Heralds columnist Randi Kreiss — cited the increased importance of class size given the fact that 80 percent of Lawrence students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

“We are an extension of their home,” she said. “Teachers are not only educators, but we are also their motivator, and sometimes a parental figure. If we had to have larger class sizes, the students are going to be the ones who are hurt by that.”

The last time representatives of the union and the school district spoke was in December. The LTA has filed a lawsuit against the Board of Education, alleging bad-faith negotiations. School board President Murray Forman declined to discuss the specifics of the negotiations.

“They brought an action in front of the (state) Public (Employment) Relations Board, which the district believes is, quite frankly, a frivolous action,” Forman said. “I am willing to say that after numerous good-faith negotiations and good-faith attempts to resolve the conflict, we have been unable to do so.”

Because of the lawsuit, negotiations are paused, and a hearing before the Public Employment Relations board is scheduled for May 9 on a Zoom call.

“The last time that we met, the district had provided them with, from our perspective, a complete proposal to which they have yet to respond,” Forman said of the union. “The reality is they remain, on average, one of the highest-paid teaching units on Long Island. It’s unfortunate, but we have to do what’s right. We work for the children, not for the LTA.”

The rally attracted educators and retirees from East Meadow, Levittown, Valley Stream and Westbury as well as New York City and upstate.

“Twelve years without a contract is unbelievable,” Judy Librizzy, a 1965 Lawrence High School graduate who has been retired from the Merrick school district for 11 years, said. “We all fight for the same things. It’s hard to be a good teacher and do a good job when you have so many classes, large classes and no pay, right?”

The crowd gathered in the Cedarhurst Long Island Rail Road station parking lot and marched along Central Avenue, waving signs that read “Teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions,” “Class size matters” and “We support Lawrence teachers.” Businesses displayed signs in their storefronts in support, and passing cars honked.

Protest organizers had planned to meet in Andrew J. Parise Cedarhurst Park, but the village denied their request for a permit to do so, which raised some questions among them.

“There are so many things that go on in Cedarhurst Park, where you can get a permit to have a gathering to do singing, and why wouldn’t they allow us to meet?” Librizzy said.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, questioned the permit denial and the motives of the Lawrence school board, which comprises seven Jewish trustees leading a school district in an area with a large Jewish population.

“Twelve years without a contract is unprecedented in New York State,” Weingarten said.

“Frankly, that’s not at all within the Jewish tradition. The Jewish tradition honors the work of workers, and the Jewish tradition honors the education not only of our own kids, but also of other people’s children. Everyone’s talking about how we need to help children thrive. This Board of Education is going in the opposite direction.”

While tension between the school board and the teachers union remains high, Person said she was optimistic that a resolution could be worked out.

“We need the board to stand up for the kids and to actually invest in the schools here,” she said, “because this district, historically, has been one of the crown jewels of Long Island in terms of quality, and you want to keep that investment so that it can stay that way forever. We’re going to keep pushing, because we’re on the right side of this issue and we feel really good about that.”