News

Local school board and teachers finish contract negotiation

By Heather Milbrath

08/20/2013

The Bottineau Education Association (BEA) and the Bottineau School Board met at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 14, to discuss the findings from the North Dakota Education Fact Finding Commission.

Both groups received the recommendation from the Fact Finding Commission on Aug. 12, one week after the hearing. Prior to this meeting, both groups also held separate meetings to read the commission’s report.

The Fact Finding Commission was called up to solve two issues in the teacher contracts: salary and the Teacher’s Fund for Retirement (TFFR). The school board’s final offer was an increase of $1,650 to the base of the first year, and a $2,450 increase to the base from the second year.

The BEA’s final offer on salary was a first year increase of $1,650 and a second year increase of $2,000. The reason the teachers were willing to take a lower base increase the second year was because they hoped that would help sway the board to cover all of the TFFR.

The school board’s final offer on the TFFR was that the district would still pay its share of 9.75 percent, and the teacher’s entire share in the first year. On July 1, 2014, TFFR will go up two percent, and the district wanted the teachers to pay that extra two percent for the second year.

The teachers, on the other hand, wanted the district to continue to pay all of the TFFR.

The ND Education Fact Finding Commission came back with the following recommendations:

1. A two-year contract covering the 2013-2015 school years.
2. All items previously agreed upon will remain in agreement.
3. A $1,650 increase to the base pay the first year and an increase of $1,750 to the base pay the second year.
4. The district will pay the teacher’s share of TFFR at 9.75 percent the first year, and 11.75 percent the second year.

The commission gave their rational for why they gave these recommendations. Because both sides had already agreed on $1,650 for the first year, they stuck with that amount. The commission recommended a second year increase of $1,750, which would bring the base salary for 2014-15 up to $35,250. The commission felt this base pay would be competitive to similar sized districts that pay the teacher’s share of TFFR.

The commission also recommended that the district continue to pay the teacher’s share of TFFR because this will also help Bottineau continue to provide benefits that are competitive to similar sized districts.

The goal of Wednesday’s meeting was for both sides to reach an agreement. The BEA started out first by saying they approved the commission’s recommendations as is. The school board then asked if the teachers were willing to take a lower increase the second year, but the BEA said no.

The school board then said they also agreed to the commission’s agreement, thereby causing an end to negotiations.

Both entities have to hold a separate meeting to get this contract ratified.

Contracts should be signed before school begins.