Cliff Buchan
News EditorCould negotiations for a new teacher contract in Forest Lake be headed to state mediation?
That was one possibility teachers in the district were to discuss this week as representatives of the teacher bargaining team met with the Forest Lake Education Association Negotiations Council, the body that sets direction for the negotiators.
Teachers and the district negotiators led by Lynn Steenblock, superintendent, continue to hammer away on a new two-year contract. Teachers are now working to contract for the two-year pact that expired June 30, 2003. The new contract will cover the July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2005 school years.
A major stumbling block in the talks has been a school district push to freeze steps and lanes. Under the plan, teachers would not advance through the salary grid by years and would not be compensated for additional educational credits.
Since its initial proposal, however, the district has agreed to back down from its freeze proposal but the numbers within the salary grid would remain frozen. The district would put money to a 13th step in the schedule, an increase of one step.
The districtís salary schedule improvement is a 1 percent increase over the two-year period, according to FLEA documents. The district projects total walk-up costs of 5.8 percent for the two-year period.
Jim Lindstrom, the veteran chief negotiator for FLEA, says the teachers are continuing to bargain under a proposal that calls for a total package increase in the area of 10 percent for the two-year period.
Lindstrom said FLEA continues to seek 2 percent salary schedule improvement in each year of the contract.
The district, faced by a revenue shortfall and the need to cut $2 million from its 2004-2005 general fund budget, is preparing to cut 25 teaching positions to keep expenditures in line with revenues that have essentially been frozen by the state.
Lindstrom said this week he appreciates the districtís offer for a 13th step to help teachers who have been in the district for a time, but said the offer still leaves the two sides close to 4 percent apart in total package cost.
The chief negotiator said FLEA is also bargaining for a reduction in the number of duty days the district requires teachers to work. All new teachers (first year in the district) must work 192 days while returning staff have 188 duty days.
The district several years ago added three days to the schedule following legislative action but that requirement is no longer in place. Lindstrom said if the district is not willing to budge on pay and benefits, the number of days in the schedule will need serious consideration.
ěI understand the district doesnít have a lot of money,î Lindstrom said.
He said teachers remain frustrated that they settled low for the contract that expired last June 30 in part because of tough financial times for the district.
But with the district emerging from statutory operating debt in only two years and producing more revenues than anticipated in the past fiscal year, Lindstrom said teachers need to look out for their own interests.
Which path to follow in the talks will be one of the topics the FLEA team will discuss with its council this week, Lindstrom said.
ěDo we keep going and try to reach agreement or do we go to mediation?î Lindstrom asked. ěThatís always a possibility.î
A bargaining session with the district this week was called off but the two sides are slated to talk again Monday, Feb. 16.
The contract progress in ISD 831 is not unique in state terms.
To date, according to Education Minnesota, the state teachersí union, three-fourths of the districts in the state have not reached contract agreement with their teachers.
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