School City of Hammond teachers voiced their frustration over contract negotiations during Tuesday's school board meeting. The district still hasn't reached an agreement with the Hammond Teachers Federation, nearly two months after the state's deadline.
Teachers say they didn't ask for a raise — they just wanted things to stay the same. Instead, they say the proposed contract would've eliminated pay for covering other teachers' classes, reduced the district's contributions into retirement and insurance benefits, and capped the number of sick days teachers can accumulate to 100, among other cuts.
Teacher Judy Morales felt the district's offer was a stab in the back and said she's considered leaving to teach in Illinois. "You're taking away people who come to work, who work for you, who do the things you want them to do, and then you're going to say, 'Hey, I'm capping you at a hundred because you come to work!'" Morales said amid cheers from her colleagues in the audience.
School City of Hammond is facing funding deficits, and the financial situation is only expected to get worse, following the failure of an operating referendum and other challenges. Still, teachers argued that more school consolidation is not the solution. There were also a few calls for the resignation of Superintendent Scott Miller.
But some of the most heated exchanges were between school board members, like when Carlotta Blake-King repeatedly asked to speak, while President Lisa Miller tried to move on to the superintendent's report. Hammond Teachers Federation President Louis Gikas criticized board members for imposing rules on public comment, while not behaving in a civilized manner themselves.
