State officials are considering rewarding school districts with additional state aid if

they can get their unions to accept salary concessions.

A handful of districts around the state — including East Aurora and West Seneca

— already have obtained notable concessions from workers, realizing it would be

difficult to put budgets with large tax hikes before voters in tough economic times.

Gov. David A. Paterson, using a model being pushed in New Jersey, said Wednesday he would

be open in the ongoing state budget talks to steering more state money to districts whose

unions help them save on payroll costs this year.

"It's certainly apt, I think, that we would be trying to reward the districts where those

who make extra sacrifices, so that's certainly a conversation we'd be willing to have,"

Paterson said. So far, he has been unable to coax state worker unions into salary concessions.

In the East Aurora School District, all 260 employees — including 140 teachers

— agreed to dig into their pockets to help lower the increase in the district's

projected tax levy from 3.7 percent to 1.9 percent, said Superintendent James Bodziak. The

concessions include teachers giving up two days' pay in September and the district forgoing

its $500 contribution to worker health savings accounts. The total savings will reach

$230,000.

"By everyone working together, we hope we've proved to the community we're not only looking

out for the best interests of the kids but also considering the community's best interest as

well," Bodziak said.

Like other superintendents, Bodziak said the concessions came after all sides realized that

residents would never approve property tax hikes of nearly 4 percent in a down economy. In

addition, a preliminary budget plan before the concessions had called for 15 teachers and

aides to lose their jobs.

In West Seneca, the district recently approved a three-year contract extension with its

teachers that includes more conservative pay increases than the raises in recent agreements in

other districts. The agreement also shaves two days off the work year for teachers, sweetens

retirement incentives and gives teachers more money when they cash in sick days at the end of

their career.

In other parts of the state, though, teachers unions are digging even deeper. So far this

year, eight districts — from Long Island to the lower Hudson Valley to the Syracuse area

— have reopened existing contracts to accept pay concessions, according to the New York

State School Boards Association. The givebacks are not huge but enough to win the praise of

local school boards.

In Pelham, Westchester County, teachers recently agreed to cut wage hikes of 3.5 percent

this year and 3.8 percent next year to 2.9 percent, and to extend the time it takes for some

teachers to reach higher pay grades. The savings amount to $572,000 over the two years,

officials said.

In Port Washington, Long Island, teachers agreed to a pay freeze this year. In Rome, four

of six unions agreed to concessions worth $25 million.

The issue of public employee givebacks is a growing one in Albany as officials try to deal

with a $9.2 billion state budget deficit and as union and non-union workers across the state

and country have seen wage freezes and other concessions during the recession.

Paterson asked state worker unions for a pay freeze this year — last week their

salaries rose 4 percent — and has threatened layoffs if concessions are not made. Both

the Civil Service Employees Association and Public Employees Federation have said state worker

pay freezes are not happening this year.

Lawmakers returned to the Capitol from a long holiday break Wednesday, and no progress was

made on the budget. Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson of Brooklyn, who

previously said the budget would not include tax hikes, said Wednesday that Democrats devised

ideas for "alternative revenue sources" over their vacation. But after Sampson said he would

provide a list of the new revenue ideas, his office failed to furnish one.

Paterson said the sides were still billions of dollars apart on ways to cut the $136

billion budget. He again rejected a $2 billion deficit borrowing idea pushed by Assembly

Democrats.

Paterson and Senate Democrats have proposed $1.4 billion in school aid cuts, while the

Assembly Democrats have shaved that to $800 billion. The state provides about $21 billion to

schools.

No matter the final number, how the aid actually gets distributed to individual districts

will be a major fight among lawmakers in the coming weeks — or months, depending on when

the budget is finalized.

With thousands of layoffs being threatened in districts across the state and with concern

about taxpayer backlash in school budget voting next month, a new push has begun to get unions

representing teachers and others to accept concessions.

After East Aurora district employees workers accepted wage cuts, Bodziak agreed with the

idea of driving more state aid to districts that get employee concessions. "There should be

incentives for districts doing something like this," he said.

In West Seneca, according to a copy of the new agreement obtained under the state's Freedom

of Information law, the salary schedule is frozen for two years, though teachers would still

receive step increases and corresponding salary increase. In the third year, the salary

schedule would increase 2 percent. By 2013-14, new teachers with a master's degree would

receive $47,109 a year. The most veteran teachers, those at Step 15, would receive a 1 percent

raise in 2011-12, followed by a 2 percent raise each of the next two years.

Documents: New West Seneca teachers contract extension Previous West Seneca teachers contract

The number of teacher workdays would be cut from 189 to 187 days, the cash equivalent of

about $918 for a veteran teacher. The deal, though, also includes boosting a retirement

incentive from $5,000 to $35,000 through August. The money is applied to the retirement health

insurance programs for teachers taking the incentive. Teachers also will get to accumulate

$29,700 worth of sick days, up from $18,000 now.

The salary schedule increases 2 percent in 2010-11, with a 3.1 percent increase at the top

step. The salary schedule is frozen the next two years, but those on the top step would

receive a 1 percent raise, then a 2 percent raise the next year.

News Staff Reporter Karen Robinson contributed to this report.