Posted: 10/8/03

FL teachers reject contract proposal

Cliff Buchan
News Editor

If bargaining is a give and take process, teachers in Forest Lake arenít seeing much giving in ISD 831ís initial proposal for a two-year contract settlement.

Representatives of the Forest Lake Education Association last week flatly rejected a district offer that provides 3 percent in salary schedule improvement but a major change in the pay teachers receive for lane change advancements and step moves within the salary schedule over the two-year period.

The change, under the district offer, would provide no step increases in both the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 school years and no lane changes in the 04-05 year. Eligible teachers would not be allowed longevity steps moves in both contract years.

Such moves would break new ground for teacher contacts in Forest Lake, said Jim Lindstrom, chief negotiator for FLEA.

The offer would also freeze the district payment for the rapidly rising cost of medical insurance, projected by the district to increase by 14 percent in the 04-05 year.

Teachers not happy

The cancellation of the Oct. 1 bargaining session reflected teacher sentiments following the school offer.

ìIt is something we can definitely not agree with,î said Terry DuRei, FLEA president and a member of the bargaining team.

ìWe werenít very pleased with the districtís initial offer,î Lindstrom said.

ìWe feel it is important to maintain the integrity of the steps and lane changing process,î DuRei said.

FLEAís initial settlement offer in September was for a 3 percent increase in salary schedule improvement in both contract years with a total package increase of just over 10 percent for the two years. The total package proposal includes all benefit costs and taxes.

A frozen schedule would provide teachers with no incentive to continuing their education, Lindstrom said.

Lane changes are a traditional way to encourage staff to further their education, but with a catch, he said. ìWe pay for our own (education),î he said. ìThatís why lane changes are there. Those costs will be picked up.î

He said he was aware of no districts in the state that donít have some sort of lane change system and steps for teacher compensation moves.

Such a system would provide no incentive for young teachers to come here, let alone want to stay here, he added. A teacher frozen at a specific step on the salary schedule could never recover those dollars, he said. No additional dollars for longevity could also negatively impact teacher retirement, he said.

District figures indicate the cost of steps and lanes as an additional 5.8 percent over the two years. The figure includes all major move-up costs, including medical insurance benefits.

Why the offer

Lynn Steenblock, superintendent and negotiator for the district, said the proposal was a way to deal with the districtís tight budget and compensate all teachers in some fashion.

Rather than put dollars toward step increases and lane changes, Steenblock said the intent was to address salary schedule improvement over two years.

ìWe thought it would be better to put some money in everyoneís pocket,î Steenblock said.

He said the proposal is also heavily weighed to the budget situation of the district. Unless voters approve an additional excess operating levy on Nov. 4, the district is looking to cut some $2 million in general fund expenditures for the 2004-2005 school year.

A sizeable chunk of the $2 million will likely come in form of teaching positions, the district has said.

ìWe have to keep it reasonable, yet move forward,î Steenblock said of the settlement offer.

Next steps

For Lindstrom and FLEA negotiators, the process is now in a ìholding pattern.î

DuRei and Lindstrom said the FLEA team will be in the process of formulating a new proposal for salary schedule improvement plus some money towards health insurance with no freezing.

For a teacher with family medical coverage, the out-of-pocket cost is just under $200 a month now, Lindstrom says. The 14 percent hike in cost projected for 04-05 will take more teacher dollars, he said.

ìI donít know if 1‡ percent would quite cover it,î he said of the hit on the teacher deductible for family coverage.

Lindstrom and Steenblock agree that the levy vote on Nov. 4 will be important to the education process in the district.

ìI understand their situation,î Lindstrom says of the school district. ìThe governor and legislature put absolutely zero new money in. Costs go up.î

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