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New 2-year teacher contract in FL finalized |
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Friday, 11 January 2008 |
Cliff Buchan
News Editor
Teachers in Forest Lake have said “deal” to a new two-year contract that will mean $3.3 million in increased spending for ISD 831. The agreement is a salary schedule and fringe benefit improvement of 9.7 percent over the two years of the contract period.
The contract, which covers the district’s 484 teachers and classroom support personnel, was ratified by Forest Lake Education Association members overwhelmingly on Jan. 9. The ratification vote was 394 in favor to 55 opposed.
The ISD 831 Board of Education, meeting in special session on Thursday, Jan. 10, also ratified the pact behind a 6-0 vote with one member absent. The settlement was within parameters set by the board, according to Superintendent Lynn Steenblock.
The approval comes as the school board prepares to begin a budget reduction process this winter that will trim some $1.5 million in expenses from its 2008-2009 budget. Coupled with the set 1 percent increase in general education state aid and a projected decrease in enrollment, district revenues will effectively be zero next year, officials report.
The approval beats the state-mandated Jan. 15 settlement date and means the district will avoid a state penalty that could have cost the district some $200,000 in state aid for not meeting the requirement.
Jim Lindstrom, chief negotiator for the teacher’s union, said he was pleased that the membership approved the contract. In light of the looming state deadline and no cost-of-living revenues coming in the second year of the contract, Lindstrom said FLEA agreed to move forward.
The contract will provide teachers with a 4 percent salary schedule improvement. That breaks down to 1 percent in the 2007-2008 school year and 3 percent in the 2008-2009 school year.
In terms of benefits, the district will increase its benefits contribution by 3.13 percent in the first year and 2.57 percent in the second year.
A major expense
The teacher contract is by far the largest single expense facing the school district.
In terms of dollars, the settlement will add $1,380,483 in district spending in the first year. The total contract cost of $33,407,181 in 2006-2007 will increase to $34,787,664 in the 2007-2008 school year.
In the 2008-2009 school year, the total district cost will increase by $1,939,181, pushing the total district cost to $36,726,845.
The settlement means the average salary cost for a teacher will increase from $50,116 in the base year to $51,833 in the base year to $54,554 in the second year.
In terms of the salary schedule, a first-year teacher at step one with a BA degree will be paid $31,500 in 2007-2008 and $32,500 in the 2008-2009.
A teacher at the top step (12) with an MA plus 60 credits would be paid $57,817 in the first year and $59,512 in the second year.
Insurance impact
Along with the 4 percent of salary schedule improvement, the district is also covering a greater share of the steadily rising cost of health insurance.
The impact is as follows:
In the base year of the contract, the district paid the entire premium of $488 for single insurance coverage. The single insurance premium will continue to be fully paid in the two years of the contract with the district cost going to $554 a month in the first year and to estimated $609 a month in the second year.
The district will increase its payment for family coverage, as well. In the base year, the premium of $1193.11 requires a district payment of $852.83 and a teacher portion of $340.28.
In the first year of the new deal, the monthly family insurance premium of $1322.08 will carry a district portion of $918.97 and a teacher payment portion of $403.11. In the second year, the monthly estimated premium cost of $1454.29 will show a teacher portion of $434.92 and a district portion of $1019.37.
The second year estimated cost is based on a projected 10 percent premium increase.
Language areas
Only minor changes were negotiated in language areas, according to Steenblock.
The new deal does provide extended weeks of employment and extra compensation for curriculum coordinators. Each coordinator will work four additional weeks in the school year and receive $2500 of pay added to their base pay, plus have the potential to earn up to $3500 each year based on a performance evaluation completed by the director of teaching and learning.
Teachers will continue to earn 15 days of paid sick leave a year with the maximum allowable accumulates sick capped at 320 for the fiscal years 2006-2007 through 2010-2011 and decreasing to 285 for fiscal years 2011-2012 and thereafter.
Under new sick leave use language, teachers may now use up to five days of their sick leave balance as a paid adoption leave.
In lieu of declining amount of severance obligations for the district, the contract maintains district use of a matching 403B retirement plan to encourage district retirement plans.
The contract also calls out 187 duty days for teachers, which includes student days, orientation and workshop days and in-service training as set by the district. New teachers to the district are required to report for four additional days at the start of the new school year.
The cost data shown here does not include any Q Comp expense and funding which is separate from the regular contract. If FLEA on Jan. 21 votes to ratify the proposed two-year Q Comp extension, a memorandum of understanding will be added to the contract.
The contract maintains a memorandum of understanding that FLEA and the district will continue to work toward average compensation for teachers in a comparison district pool that includes Centennial, South Washington County, Hastings, Stillwater, White Bear Lake and Mounds View.
The district and FLEA have also agreed to continue to work to create a revised supplementary pay schedule for coaches and other activity directors that will considered during the 2009-2011 contract negotiations.
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