MONROE - The Monroe School Board in a special meeting Friday night unanimously approved a two-year contract extension with the Monroe Education Association that places teachers under a two-year salary schedule freeze.
The school board met Friday for about 25 minutes in closed session so district officials could update the board on the MEA collective bargaining before reconvening to open session to approve the two-year contract extension. The current agreement was set to expire June 30. The extension will run from July 1 to June 30, 2013 and includes a two-year freeze on the teacher salary schedule and step increases for additional years of experience.
Monroe School District Superintendent Larry Brown and Monroe Business Manager Ron Olson in a statement on the summary of the contract said that the freeze on the salary schedule, steps, and the increased contribution percentage changes for health care premiums and retirement will save the district a minimum of $1.4 million in the first year and $1.85 million in the second year of the extension.
Brown said the district's negotiations committee and the MEA committee worked together to get a contract finalized that allows the district to deal with the state budget issues they are confronting.
"The fact that our teachers made concessions I think says a lot about their commitment to the community," Brown said.
Two other concessions in the contract extension are requiring teachers to pay 12.6 percent of their health insurance premiums and 50 percent of the required contribution to the Wisconsin Retirement System - both of which were anticipated after Gov. Scott Walker signed the budget repair bill into law. Teachers' health insurance premium contribution under the existing contract is 10 percent and the existing retirement contribution is 11.6 percent.
Brown said the contract extension doesn't address the district's financial need for the referendum. The district is seeking a $8 million non-recurring referendum on the April 5 ballot.
"We still have a financial need we have to address with the referendum," Brown said. "We still have to get that information out to our taxpayers and community members."
The district has projected a deficit of $1.6 million for 2011-12. Without a referendum, the district expects deficits of about $2.3 million in the 2012-13 year; $3 million in 2013-14 school year; and $3.6 million in the 2014-15. The district is at the end of its four-year, non-recurring referendum, in which voters allowed the district to exceed revenue caps by $8.3 million. The district was able to make cuts in administration and other areas over the past four years, using a little more than $4 million of the total amount authorized by the last referendum.
Walker's proposed budget cuts state aid to school districts by about $900 million, and reduces school districts' revenue limits by 5.5 percent, preventing schools from using property taxes to make up the difference. District officials are hoping the concessions in the contract extension can plug those expected deficits.
Board member Brian Keith said he understands there may be community members who were not in favor of extending the contract.
"It's been a tough week," Keith said. "This should help with the teachers' stress and help them get back and educate kids."
Monroe School Board President Pam Wyss said she appreciated all of the work by the district's negotiations committee and the MEA to get a deal done and "do what is the best for the kids in the district."
Under the contract extension, the district could require teachers to teach one additional class per day. The current contract provides for five periods of instruction, two supervision periods and a preparation period. The new contract extension allows for teachers to be assigned six periods of instruction, one period of supervision and one period of preparation time.
Additional contract changes include:
• The current contract allows for health insurance continuation benefits of up to $52,000 for each eligible retiree. The early retirement language is modified and will sunset June 30, 2016. Eliminating the early retirement benefit is expected to save the district about $4.8 million over 30 years.
• A memorandum of understanding allows prorating early retirement benefits for individuals who do not meet all the eligibility requirements for the benefit, but who plan to retire at the end of the 2010-11 school year.
• The contract extension includes a new measure that allows the district to non-renew teachers who are on an improvement plan for three or more consecutive semesters.
• The new contact also removes the school calendar from negotiations. The district will determine the school calendar.
The school board met Friday for about 25 minutes in closed session so district officials could update the board on the MEA collective bargaining before reconvening to open session to approve the two-year contract extension. The current agreement was set to expire June 30. The extension will run from July 1 to June 30, 2013 and includes a two-year freeze on the teacher salary schedule and step increases for additional years of experience.
Monroe School District Superintendent Larry Brown and Monroe Business Manager Ron Olson in a statement on the summary of the contract said that the freeze on the salary schedule, steps, and the increased contribution percentage changes for health care premiums and retirement will save the district a minimum of $1.4 million in the first year and $1.85 million in the second year of the extension.
Brown said the district's negotiations committee and the MEA committee worked together to get a contract finalized that allows the district to deal with the state budget issues they are confronting.
"The fact that our teachers made concessions I think says a lot about their commitment to the community," Brown said.
Two other concessions in the contract extension are requiring teachers to pay 12.6 percent of their health insurance premiums and 50 percent of the required contribution to the Wisconsin Retirement System - both of which were anticipated after Gov. Scott Walker signed the budget repair bill into law. Teachers' health insurance premium contribution under the existing contract is 10 percent and the existing retirement contribution is 11.6 percent.
Brown said the contract extension doesn't address the district's financial need for the referendum. The district is seeking a $8 million non-recurring referendum on the April 5 ballot.
"We still have a financial need we have to address with the referendum," Brown said. "We still have to get that information out to our taxpayers and community members."
The district has projected a deficit of $1.6 million for 2011-12. Without a referendum, the district expects deficits of about $2.3 million in the 2012-13 year; $3 million in 2013-14 school year; and $3.6 million in the 2014-15. The district is at the end of its four-year, non-recurring referendum, in which voters allowed the district to exceed revenue caps by $8.3 million. The district was able to make cuts in administration and other areas over the past four years, using a little more than $4 million of the total amount authorized by the last referendum.
Walker's proposed budget cuts state aid to school districts by about $900 million, and reduces school districts' revenue limits by 5.5 percent, preventing schools from using property taxes to make up the difference. District officials are hoping the concessions in the contract extension can plug those expected deficits.
Board member Brian Keith said he understands there may be community members who were not in favor of extending the contract.
"It's been a tough week," Keith said. "This should help with the teachers' stress and help them get back and educate kids."
Monroe School Board President Pam Wyss said she appreciated all of the work by the district's negotiations committee and the MEA to get a deal done and "do what is the best for the kids in the district."
Under the contract extension, the district could require teachers to teach one additional class per day. The current contract provides for five periods of instruction, two supervision periods and a preparation period. The new contract extension allows for teachers to be assigned six periods of instruction, one period of supervision and one period of preparation time.
Additional contract changes include:
• The current contract allows for health insurance continuation benefits of up to $52,000 for each eligible retiree. The early retirement language is modified and will sunset June 30, 2016. Eliminating the early retirement benefit is expected to save the district about $4.8 million over 30 years.
• A memorandum of understanding allows prorating early retirement benefits for individuals who do not meet all the eligibility requirements for the benefit, but who plan to retire at the end of the 2010-11 school year.
• The contract extension includes a new measure that allows the district to non-renew teachers who are on an improvement plan for three or more consecutive semesters.
• The new contact also removes the school calendar from negotiations. The district will determine the school calendar.