CCS Teachers File 16 Labor Grievances; School Board Seeks Treasurer, Positive Audit Results
By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
COOPERSTOWN
At the Wednesday, November 19 Cooperstown Central School School Board meeting, representatives of the Cooperstown Faculty Association said its members have filed 16 grievances since the summer over alleged breaches of their contract, adding that this represents unclear and inconsistent policies within the district. Further, the Cooperstown Central School School Board said it continues to seek a new treasurer, but in the interim, Superintendent Sarah Spross said, the district has retained a third-party vendor to handle the work.
Alan Walther, partner of the Bonadio Group, presented the district’s annual audit, which offered an “unmodified opinion” on district financial statements. “That is the highest level of assurance,” he said. Walther reported that the district ended the last fiscal year with $7.1 million in its fund balance, “of which 1.4 million was appropriated to 2026” to balance this year’s budget. “Your unassigned fund balance was approximately $136,000.00—that is within the New York State limitation—and your net favorable variance to the budget was approximately $936,000.00 per year,” Walther closed.
Walther said the audit is incomplete, however, “because the federal government has not issued its compliance supplement for 2025. There’s been a little bit of chaos at the federal level.”
During public comment, two representatives of the Cooperstown Faculty Association, the union representing the district’s teachers, reflected on positive events in the district before sharing concerns about labor grievances.
“Over the past six months, the Cooperstown Faculty Association has filed 16 grievances, nine progressing to stage three in requiring board-level review,” elementary school teacher Anne Reis shared. Reis said the volume was “unprecedented,” both at Cooperstown and compared to other schools in the region.
“Such a sharp increase is a clear indication that the systems, procedures and expectations guiding our working relationship are not functioning as intended. Grievances of this frequency and seriousness suggest recurring misunderstandings, inconsistencies or breakdowns in how contractual provisions are being interpreted and applied,” Reis said.
She called for a “focused, collaborative effort to examine the current procedures and parameters agreed upon by both the school district and the union.”
The district’s current contract with the CFA began in July 2023, and is set to expire at the end of June 2026.
Another union member, special education teacher Katie Lambert, also highlighted several district achievements before expressing her concerns.
“While we value and appreciate these accomplishments, we must also address an issue affecting teacher support,” Lambert said. “We’ve become increasingly frustrated by the lack of clear and consistent processes, which has had a particular impact on our new teachers, who struggle to understand expectations and locate essential information.
“One example is this year, the mentor assignment process was delayed, leaving several new teachers without mentors in appropriate departments or without a mentor assigned in a timely manner. Clear procedures and strong, reliable support systems for teachers are essential to building and maintaining a thriving school community,” Lambert told district officials.
Lambert and Reis emphasized they were there speaking on behalf of their colleagues.
Peter Iorizzo, the school board’s president, told AllOtsego in a statement that “We take all employee concerns seriously, and our goal is always to support a collaborative working relationship among staff, administrators and the board. While I can’t comment on individual grievances, I can say that every concern brought forth is reviewed thoroughly and thoughtfully through the established contractual process.
“We appreciate the hard work of both our educators and our administrators, and we’re grateful for their partnership in creating the best possible environment for teaching and learning in Cooperstown,” Iorizzo said.
Throughout the meeting, district officials and teachers celebrated a wide range of successful events. They included the recent high-school play reportedly having more than 400 attendees on opening night, first-graders visiting the Fenimore Art Museum, a 10th grade career fair with Bassett Healthcare Network, a college day where 41 different higher education institutions shared information with students, a Veterans Day blood drive, and more.
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