Over 100 teachers dressed in blue rallied outside of the Ithaca City School District offices after school to demand a better contract on Thursday.
Following negotiations with the Ithaca City School District broke down this past summer, Ithaca teachers vowed to increase pressure on the Ithaca City School District over creating a new contract.
In June, the Ithaca Teachers Association — which is Ithaca’s union of nearly 600 teachers from the district — voted to “pause” negotiations with the ICSD until October, even as their contract was set to expire at the end of the month. Since then, teachers have been working under the old collective bargaining agreement.
“It feels like we’re not getting there at the negotiating table, so that’s why we need actions like this,” said Aurora Rojer, a Lehman Alternative Community School humanities teacher.
Protesters were joined by Tompkins County legislators Deborah Dawson and Shauna Black, Mayor Robert Cantelmo, Alderperson Clyde Lederman ’26 and Common Council candidates Hannah Shvets ’27 and Jorge Defendini ’22.
Picketers chanted “we can’t take it anymore, Dr. Brown negotiate,” and “what do we want? Step and lane,” referencing ICSD superintendent Dr. Brown and the support of a Step-and-Lane salary structure.
“I’m interested in teaching in the future myself,” Menzie Berkowitz, a student at LACS said, adding that “they deserve more pay.”
Negotiations over a new contract concerns ICSD providing health insurance to domestic partners, a “Step-and-Lane” salary structure, which would reward teachers staying in the district, and paid parental leave comparable to other school districts upstate.
Under a Step-and-Lane system, teachers would earn raises for each year they stay at the district and for each new certificate or degree they receive. While many U.S. school districts utilize Step-and-Lane, critics claim the policy pushes away younger candidates and keeps burnt-out teachers in classrooms.
In a June presentation, the ITA argued that 60 annual departures from the district were due to a lack of Step-and-Lane system central in negotiations.
This increased pressure comes at a time where ICSD teacher turnover has reached 18 percent, compared to the New York state average of 10 percent in 2024 and a national average of just 7 percent.
While ICSD has claimed that the ITA’s demands were not financially possible, ITA members disagree.
A switch to Step-and-Lane “would be very easy. It would be no cost to them,” ITA treasurer and Northeast elementary math teacher Brian Goodman said. “They have a high-paid executive team – their job is to solve problems.”
ICSD did not respond to a request for comment.
While a strike is illegal under New York state law, in some states “teachers have only been able to achieve life-changing contracts through illegal strikes,” according to a statement sent to The Sun from ITA President Kathryn Cernera. Ithaca Mayor Robert Cantelmo said he supports “any means” for the ITA to get a fair deal.
“We are doing everything in our power … to avoid a strike,” Cernera said.
Atticus Johnson is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a senior writer for the News department and can be reached at ajohnson@cornellsun.com.
