REA Negotiations Update: May 23, 2012

The District bargaining team offered teachers increased salary and benefits package worth $5 million over the three-year contract in a sincere attempt to urge teachers to return to work so schools could be reopened on Thursday, May 24.

The District will continue to publish each offer on the website and we invite the staff and public to review the details carefully.

The five million dollar offer included:
2011-12
• Full Step increase
• Column increases for staff who earned them through additional education

2012-13
• A full step increase effective March 1, 2013
• Column increases for staff who earned them through additional education
• September through February: $50 increase to insurance from $900 to $950 per month
• March though August: an additional $50 increase to insurance from $950 to $1000 per month.
• 1% Cost living increase (COLA) to staff who were at the top step in 2011-12

2013-14
• Column increases for staff who earned them through additional education
• September through February: an additional $50 increase to insurance from $1000 to $1050 per month
• March though August: an additional $50 increase to insurance from $1050 to $1100 per month.
• 2% Cost of Living (COLA) for 2012-13 school year triggered by the general fund ending fund balance being greater than $13 million for 2012-13, as proposed by the Association in their 5/23/12 offer.

We started today hopeful that we would be able to settle, so students could be back in school tomorrow. Increasing the offer by $700,000 to $4.5 million in salary and benefits was not enough for the teachers to settle today. The negotiating team responded with a $5 million offer, $1.2 million over the district's last offer on Monday 5/21. We are waiting for an answer from the Association.

We will welcome our teachers back to work. We hope the association will accept our generous offer and return to their students at the earliest possible opportunity.