Ashland settles teacher contract

Ashland Board OKs teachers' contract
Karen Hollish
Last updated: Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 09:07:40 AM

The Ashland School Board ratified a two-year contract with the
teachers' union Monday, giving teachers a 3.8 percent salary and
benefit increase, allowing them more time to submit a grievance and
penalizing those who quit without sufficient notice.

A resolution to enter the contract was passed 7 to 1, with board
member Bill Pearce voting against it. After the meeting, Pearce said
he is concerned about teachers being paid to work at co-curricular
events when volunteers could do it for free. Board member Tami
Heglund, whose husband is a teacher, abstained from the vote.

The contract falls in line with the Qualified Economic Offer, a state
law that limits the annual increase of teachers' total salary and
benefits packages to 3.8 percent. During the 2007-08 school year,
Ashland teachers' salaries will increase by 1.4 percent, Business
Manager Bonnie Stegmann said after the meeting.

Because of the 3.8 percent cap, the following year's salary increase
will depend on how much health insurance costs go up, said Rick
Whiting, president of Ashland Federation of Teachers Local 1275.

Because the QEO and state-imposed revenue caps have limited the types
of settlements districts and unions can come to, contracts no longer
present "any big surprises," Whiting said.

Rather, they reflect relatively small changes, such as the new
contract's revision to the grievance procedure. Under the former
contract's language, teachers had to submit a grievance within five
school days of the act or event that formed the grievance's basis. Now
they have ten days, allowing them more time to informally resolve the
matter.

Under the new contract, teachers who break their contracts without
sufficient notice will be required to pay damages ranging from $100 to
$500, depending how early in the year it happens. This provision was
included to dissuade teachers from leaving their posts without giving
sufficient notice, Whiting said.

The contract allows the board to deduct the amounts from teachers'
paychecks, if it deems fit, or to waive the penalties.

The contract's language that describes mental health benefits was also
changed to be more inclusive, so that teachers' coverage could
potentially be more comprehensive, Whiting said. Other changes include
updating the contract's "working conditions" section to reflect
long-standing teacher practice at the middle and high schools, and an
added provision to form an advisory committee for studying retirement
benefits.

Whiting said the union members had "overwhelmingly" approved the contract.

The board also voted to change the teachers' life insurance policy
from a private carrier to a state policy, saving the district $20,000,
Stegmann said.