|
Post by title1parent on Jan 23, 2009 6:11:25 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=266453&src=76Dist. 204 teacher contract talks off to quiet start By Justin Kmitch | Daily Herald 1/22/2009 Contract talks between the Indian Prairie Unit District 204 school board and its teachers union have begun, with seven months remaining on the existing pact. The current three-year deal, approved in 2006 during what were described as "frank" negotiations, expires Aug. 25. Neither board President Mark Metzger nor Indian Prairie Education Association President Val Dranias would comment on specifics of the negotiations. "We're negotiating a contract and there's nothing magic or special about it," Metzger said Thursday. "But over the years we've learned that everyone wants their say in it, so we've decided it is best to limit conversations to only the people at the bargaining table." Dranias also is tight-lipped, declining to discuss the union's bargaining position. "At the moment, we will not be talking about contract negotiations," Dranias said Wednesday. "Yes, they started and we will let everyone know what the particulars are once we've reached an agreement." The current contract, representing 1,811 teachers in 29 schools, provided raises of 4.4 percent in 2006, 4.2 percent in 2007 and 3.9 percent in 2008. Under the agreement, the starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor's degree and no experience is $39,225. A teacher with a master's degree plus 60 hours of additional college credit and 23 years experience now makes $95,796. The district also is negotiating with its support staff. That group's three-year deal expires in April and included a 5.15 percent increase in salary and benefits for 2006-07, a 4.11 percent increase for 2007-08 and a 4.02 percent increase for 2008-09.
|
|
|
Post by asmodeus on Jan 23, 2009 9:43:32 GMT -5
What are the odds of the district freezing salaries? It would be a nice sign to the taxpayers, most of whom are seeing freezes or outright layoffs.
|
|
|
Post by southsidesignmaker on Jan 23, 2009 10:03:53 GMT -5
I hope the idea of freezing salaries is 0. Many teachers in district are underpaid especially when one considers that 2/3 of our educators hold advance degrees. To think that a starting teacher makes under $40,000, One can only wonder what a "newly minted" master degree teacher makes with only a few years experience. I find it always interesting how articles will stress the high end and low end but put little emphasis for where the vast majority are parked..in the middle.
More important imo is that we as a district look at the viability of the pension funds that our educators receive. These are "in affect" long term promises that our educators must have. Let us insure that these promises don't become broken promises. All one needs to do is look at what is happening in private industry (regarding pensions) and realize that this must not happen at the educational level.
Note it does appear that our educators pension fund is adequately funded at present. Let us stay vigilant that this situation does not change for the worse.
|
|
Arwen
Master Member
Posts: 933
|
Post by Arwen on Jan 23, 2009 12:36:22 GMT -5
What are the odds of the district freezing salaries? It would be a nice sign to the taxpayers, most of whom are seeing freezes or outright layoffs. Since we want to give taxpayers a good sign, lets do what they are doing in California! After all, it is education we should be concerned about, right?? www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Budget-Cuts-Could-Mean-No-Sports-for-South-Bay-Schools.htmlOne Bay Area school district superintendent is proposing a dramatic fix for his budget problems -- eliminate school sports. The state's $14.8 billion budget shortfall could mean such a cutback for schools that the East Side Union School District in San Jose is considering the move. The superintendent planned to go before the board Thursday night to suggest eliminating the programs. "This morning my youngest son who played basketball called me and said, 'Dad are you nuts?'" said Superintendent Bob Nunez. Nunez said he insists he is not doing this to shock people but because times are hard and tough decisions have to be made. "Sports is number one because everyone is talking about it, but we're putting three more students in every class," Nunez said. "We're also eliminating 18 percent of the administration staff in the district and a large number of classroom employees." There are 40 teams among the 11 high schools in the district. "We think we're a valuable part of the educational process," said Oak Grove High School Athletic Director Ed Buller. "One of the things that superintendent Nunez said is he wants to keep cuts from the classroom as much as he can. Well to these 6,000 students, our tennis courts, our fields, our swimming pools - these are our classrooms." Buller said students stopped by all day asking if they are going to have a team to play on next year. The final decision on where cuts will be made lies with the board. The superintendent said he has already had a major response from the community, including from the Oakland A's. The team is making the District part of its educational fund program. However, the superintendent warned that even if the athletic programs can be saved, more cuts could be on the way.
|
|
|
Post by asmodeus on Jan 23, 2009 16:57:03 GMT -5
An advanced degree doesn't entitle someone to anything. I know some "professional students" who basically are afraid to enter the real world and are working on their 3rd or 4th degree.
Plus, as mentioned in the article, a teacher with a masters degree with decent tenure makes close to 100k (for 9 months of work).
As far as underpaid, there is a market for everything. I don't believe that most teachers are underpaid. Is the job they perform valuable? Of course...but so are those of homemakers.
And regarding pensions, as I mentioned in another thread, there have been a lot of shady promotions/raises given to teachers and admins in their last months prior to retirement. These raises are given for the sole purpose of bumping up the pensions.
|
|
|
Post by southsidesignmaker on Jan 23, 2009 22:14:16 GMT -5
Ok asmodeus you truly can be a crab ankle. But still like your posts because after all I have the honor of learning new words. I want to let you know that I know some signmakers that are well overpaid and have about 1/10 the responsibilities that most teachers have. And yes the article did note that some teachers indeed cashed out at near six figures. The article failed to recognize those teachers that are in the middle of their careers. i am sure you can have empathy for the vastness of the middle... it is where most of our educators reside. As for entitlement, I have yet to meet an educator in our district or an administrator (for that matter) that came across as an entitled soul.
|
|
|
Post by gatormom on Jan 26, 2009 7:13:03 GMT -5
D204 contract talks continue January 26, 2009 www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1397035,6_1_NA26_D204BRD_S1.article TIM WALDORF Negotiations of a new teacher's contract are "well under way" in Indian Prairie School District 204. Mark Metzger, District 204 school board president, said negotiating teams for both the board and Indian Prairie Education Association, the union representing the more than 2,100 teachers in District 204's 35 schools, have met for three or four formal bargaining sessions. "We're coming along," said IPEA President Val Dranias. The district's current teacher's contract is a three-year deal that expires Aug. 25. It provided average salary increases of 4.4 percent for the 2006-2007 school year, 4.2 percent for the 2007-2008 school year and 3.9 percent for the current school year. While both Metzger and Dranias refused to discuss the issues that are being discussed or either party's positions on them until a new agreement has been made, they did confirm that sessions are unfolding much like they have in the past. The two parties have also agreed to use the interest-based approach to bargaining that they've used to negotiate the past few deals. In interest-based negotiations, said Dranias, the two sides meet with a facilitator they've agreed to hire, and they determine their shared and specific concerns, and determine ways to talk about them in a problem solving fashion. "We brainstorm options, and this is where we begin to pull together the agreement," Dranias said. "It is very different than traditional, position-based bargaining. It is much more collaborative." Metzger said even discussing just the negotiating process, absent of details discussed behind closed doors, made him uncomfortable "because everybody in a contract negotiation wants to feel like they won." So, he said, saying you like or dislike anything about them can create tension, and perhaps leave teachers thinking they didn't get a good deal or community members wondering whether the board could have been more hard-nosed during negotiations. "Negotiations always have a life of their own," he said.
|
|
|
Post by asmodeus on Jan 26, 2009 8:33:51 GMT -5
Seeing as how the contract expires seven months from now, and the negotiations are "well under way," is it too much to ask that the contract be agreed to by the end of the school year? I have a feeling the union is going to stall, because they know taxpayers are not eager to give generous pay raises in the current economy, and they may think their leverage will increase closer to the start of the next school year (especially with a new HS opening).
|
|
|
Post by asmodeus on Feb 4, 2009 14:44:48 GMT -5
|
|