WESTFIELD – The School Committee met on Thursday along with Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski to vote on ratification of employee contracts and approve Memorandum of Agreements following an executive session on remaining contract issues. Ratified were the Cafeteria Managers Association and Westfield Education Association Unit D for paraprofessionals successor agreements.
The committee also approved agreements to clarify the severance and longevity changes on the teachers’ contracts. The teachers gave up their severance pay in the most recent contract signed in June for increases in longevity pay. Some teachers who had built up severance and plan to retire within the next four years were given the choice to keep the terms under the old contract. Mayor Brian P. Sullivan said those teachers will retain 100% of their severance for the next two years, 75% the third year, and 50% the fourth year, after which the new terms of the contract will take full effect.
Sullivan said the School Committee wanted to make sure they covered teachers who would be adversely affected by losing their severance. The agreement signed on Thursday fills the gaps for teachers who are nearing retirement to keep the old agreement.
Also approved at the meeting was an agreement for professional legal services with Dupere Law Offices.
Before voting the contract, School Committee member Diane Mayhew asked Czaporowski if he was comfortable with the firm.
“In my limited three week experience, I have used their services extensively,” Czaporowski said.
“I do like them being on the school side, and having that expertise. I am comfortable with Dupere, but didn’t know if you were,” Mayhew said.
School Committee member Kevin Sullivan said that he was okay with having outside counsel, but the company is supposed to be the School Committee’s attorney. He also said that he wants them to be in direct contact with the city’s law department.
Sullivan also said he has some issue with the cost for their services, which is $2,500 per month, or $30,000 per year.
“My question is, do we need them at this price tag?” Kevin Sullivan said.
“They’re a professional firm, and they’ve been doing a good job. I think we need to give the new superintendent a year to assess them,” School Committee member Cynthia Sullivan said.
It was also pointed out that there is a 30-day notice of termination in their contract.
“If it gets into something we don’t like, we can use the 30-day termination clause,” Mayor Sullivan said.
Paula Ceglowski is Westfield Schools Director of Human Resources (WNG file photo)>
Also present at the meeting was Paula Ceglowski, the new Director of Human Services for Westfield. Having just started on Monday, she is already putting together the search committee for a new interim principal for Westfield High School.
Ceglowski said the search committee will be finalized today, and the job posting, which is linked along with other openings to the human services page on the city website has a closing date of July 28.
“Our goal is to have someone in place before the start of the school year,” Ceglowski said.
When asked how she felt about starting in the midst of a high profile personnel change, she replied, “I’m in H.R.,” implying that changes are par for the course in the field.
