Post by gatordog on Mar 9, 2010 16:39:11 GMT -5
D203 approves new contract with teachers
March 9, 2010
By KATHY CICHON kcichon@stmedianetwork.com
Calling the agreement fiscally sound, Naperville District 203 Superintendent Mark Mitrovich said the new contract with the Naperville Unit Education Association will allow the district to retain all of its teachers.
"We will not be issuing any non-renewal notices," Mitrovich said Monday.
Any time people are cut, the kids are impacted, he said.
"At the end of the day, what is best for our students is having people in our classrooms who reflect the caliber of what we need to keep this district doing the kind of work that it does," he said. "And that came to us from the community. It wasn't just an internal thing."
In a 6-1 vote Monday night, the District 203 Board of Education approved a three-year contract with teachers in the 1,350-member NUEA.
"This agreement allows us to continue the excellence that makes Naperville District 203 a lighthouse district," NUEA President Dave Griffith said. "And to strive to make our light shine even brighter."
The cost to the taxpayer in this district is less than 1 percent per year, Mitrovich said, and the teacher increase year to year is less than 3 percent.
"What is also means, importantly, is our balanced budget will extend for at least five years into the future," Mitrovich said.
"From somebody that lives in the corporate world, I love the fact there's no deficit spending in this," board member Jim Dennison said. "We're out five years and that's outstanding. In this current economic environment, if we can do that, God bless us. That's outstanding."
Over the life of this contract, the estimated average annual increase in the base is 1 percent. The average annual increase in base plus step is 2 percent. A step increase is related to years of teaching experience.
Next year there is zero increase in base and step pay to teachers.
"The savings to the district in that amount of money is nearly $2 million," Mitrovich said. "And that is a rolling $2 million that moves forward."
In years two and three, the increases are linked to CPI, Mitrovich said.
A maximum of two lane changes will be allowed or credit for a master's degree. A "lane change" occurs when teachers take additional courses to further their education.
In year two of the contract, the base is 1.35 percent (representing 50 percent of the 2009 CPI), while base and step is 2.84 percent. A maximum of two lane changes will be allowed or credit for a master's degree. In year three the base will be 75 percent of the 2010 CPI (with a floor of 1.4 percent and a ceiling of 2.7 percent, equating to a CPI range between 1.9 percent and 3.6 percent), while base and step, or the "all in" increase, is estimated at 3.14 percent, the district said.
Casting the sole opposing vote was board member Dave Weeks, who expressed several concerns about the agreement, including its length.
"In my opinion, there is no upside to signing a three-year contract. We can plan for the next two years because that's the way our income is structured, we know what our tax revenue is going to be, and this is the majority of our revenue," Weeks said. "But the third year is a wild card. Yet this contract calls for guaranteed raises."
By tying those raises to the CPI, and also not knowing how to project state and federal funding, Weeks said it is "just too risky" to enter into a three-year agreement at this time.
Two residents spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, both expressing support for the contract and teachers.
Speaking on behalf of QualityEducation203.org, a group of parents and residents, co-chair Thom Higgins called the contract "a sensible package" for all involved, including taxpayers.
"While we would have liked to see the end of the retirement enhancements, and, in retrospect, would have preferred a two-year agreement, we understand that contract negotiations require compromise and think that by limiting raises to an average of 1 percent annually and making a commitment for comprehensive compensation reform, this contract warrants approval by the board," Higgins said.
The contract continues the 6 percent increase for retiring teachers that is present in the current contract, which expires in June. There is a four-year maximum on this option.
Another key term of the contract is the formation of a Professional Development Committee which will research and develop a new compensation schedule that will reward teachers for classroom effectiveness. The committee is expected to report to the board by no later than June 2011.
The average teacher in District 203 has 13.3 years of teaching experience, and the average teacher salary is $77,764.
March 9, 2010
By KATHY CICHON kcichon@stmedianetwork.com
Calling the agreement fiscally sound, Naperville District 203 Superintendent Mark Mitrovich said the new contract with the Naperville Unit Education Association will allow the district to retain all of its teachers.
"We will not be issuing any non-renewal notices," Mitrovich said Monday.
Any time people are cut, the kids are impacted, he said.
"At the end of the day, what is best for our students is having people in our classrooms who reflect the caliber of what we need to keep this district doing the kind of work that it does," he said. "And that came to us from the community. It wasn't just an internal thing."
In a 6-1 vote Monday night, the District 203 Board of Education approved a three-year contract with teachers in the 1,350-member NUEA.
"This agreement allows us to continue the excellence that makes Naperville District 203 a lighthouse district," NUEA President Dave Griffith said. "And to strive to make our light shine even brighter."
The cost to the taxpayer in this district is less than 1 percent per year, Mitrovich said, and the teacher increase year to year is less than 3 percent.
"What is also means, importantly, is our balanced budget will extend for at least five years into the future," Mitrovich said.
"From somebody that lives in the corporate world, I love the fact there's no deficit spending in this," board member Jim Dennison said. "We're out five years and that's outstanding. In this current economic environment, if we can do that, God bless us. That's outstanding."
Over the life of this contract, the estimated average annual increase in the base is 1 percent. The average annual increase in base plus step is 2 percent. A step increase is related to years of teaching experience.
Next year there is zero increase in base and step pay to teachers.
"The savings to the district in that amount of money is nearly $2 million," Mitrovich said. "And that is a rolling $2 million that moves forward."
In years two and three, the increases are linked to CPI, Mitrovich said.
A maximum of two lane changes will be allowed or credit for a master's degree. A "lane change" occurs when teachers take additional courses to further their education.
In year two of the contract, the base is 1.35 percent (representing 50 percent of the 2009 CPI), while base and step is 2.84 percent. A maximum of two lane changes will be allowed or credit for a master's degree. In year three the base will be 75 percent of the 2010 CPI (with a floor of 1.4 percent and a ceiling of 2.7 percent, equating to a CPI range between 1.9 percent and 3.6 percent), while base and step, or the "all in" increase, is estimated at 3.14 percent, the district said.
Casting the sole opposing vote was board member Dave Weeks, who expressed several concerns about the agreement, including its length.
"In my opinion, there is no upside to signing a three-year contract. We can plan for the next two years because that's the way our income is structured, we know what our tax revenue is going to be, and this is the majority of our revenue," Weeks said. "But the third year is a wild card. Yet this contract calls for guaranteed raises."
By tying those raises to the CPI, and also not knowing how to project state and federal funding, Weeks said it is "just too risky" to enter into a three-year agreement at this time.
Two residents spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, both expressing support for the contract and teachers.
Speaking on behalf of QualityEducation203.org, a group of parents and residents, co-chair Thom Higgins called the contract "a sensible package" for all involved, including taxpayers.
"While we would have liked to see the end of the retirement enhancements, and, in retrospect, would have preferred a two-year agreement, we understand that contract negotiations require compromise and think that by limiting raises to an average of 1 percent annually and making a commitment for comprehensive compensation reform, this contract warrants approval by the board," Higgins said.
The contract continues the 6 percent increase for retiring teachers that is present in the current contract, which expires in June. There is a four-year maximum on this option.
Another key term of the contract is the formation of a Professional Development Committee which will research and develop a new compensation schedule that will reward teachers for classroom effectiveness. The committee is expected to report to the board by no later than June 2011.
The average teacher in District 203 has 13.3 years of teaching experience, and the average teacher salary is $77,764.