Manheim Central school board reveals broad gap in teacher contract talks
Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
Updated Mar 16, 2011 23:03
By CIVIA KATZ, Correspondent and BRIAN WALLACE, Staff Writer
Manheim Central school board and its teachers appear to be far apart in their efforts to reach a settlement on a new contract, according to an update on negotiations released Tuesday by the board.
The teachers want annual raises of 4.2 percent in a new six-year contract that would maintain the status quo on teacher health care costs and tuition reimbursements, according to the update, which was read at Tuesday night's school board meeting.
The board, meanwhile, wants teachers to accept a three-year contract with no raises — down from an original offer of 2 percent — and pay more for their health care. It also wants the district to have more discretion on reimbursing teachers for tuition costs.
Contract negotiations usually are conducted behind closed doors, but Superintendent Bill Clark said the board decided to release the update to inform the public of the status of the talks, which have stretched on for more than a year.
The old teacher pact expired June 30, and Manheim Central is the only district in Lancaster County still negotiating a contract from last year.
"We are disappointed the board chose to take our negotiations public," Jon Charles, president of Manheim Central Education Association, said in an e-mail Wednesday.
"The climate of negotiations has changed dramatically since we made our original proposal. We will continue to negotiate in good faith with the district, and we hope they will do the same."
District officials said Manheim Central doesn't have the money to meet the unions' demands.
It's facing a $2.4 million deficit for next year, even with a projected 6 percent tax increase, and Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed 2011-12 budget would cut state funding by more than $500,000.
"Unfortunately, we're going to have to make some very tough decisions and have to raise taxes," board member Kenneth Kowalski said.
District administrators and support staff members have agreed to freeze their pay next year to help Manheim Central balance its budget.
The district also plans to eliminate a language teaching position and the head teaching position at the middle school next year, for a savings of about $170,000.
According to the negotiations update, district teachers currently pay $25 per month for individual health care coverage, $74 per month for coverage for two family members and $120 per month for a family.
The teachers want those rates to remain, while the district wants teachers to pay a fixed percentage of health care costs, ranging from 10 percent to 13 percent, in the new contract.
It also wants to introduce a deductible of $400 for individuals and $800 for families for "in-network" care and a $1,400 deductible for "out-of-network" expenses.
Manheim Central also wants to exclude from the health care plan working spouses who have access to their own employer-paid health insurance, while the teachers want spouses to remain eligible for coverage.
The union also wants the district to continue paying teachers who have obtained a National Board Teaching Certification an additional $7,000 per year, according to the update.
The school board wants to eliminate that stipulation, which is costing the district about $189,000 for 27 teachers.
The union also wants Charles to receive guaranteed paid time off from work every day to do union business.
"The association should take care of union business outside of the school day," according to the update.
The superintendent said Wednesday he did not know how much the teachers' contract would cost the district if it included all of the union's requests.
Despite the apparent divisions over a new contract, both sides said they will continue to negotiate.
In addition to Manheim Central, teacher contract talks are under way in Penn Manor, School District of Lancaster and Octorara school districts and Lancaster County Career & Technology Center. These contracts expire at the end of the current school year.
bwallace@lnpnews.com
Read more: http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/363257#ixzz1H5gy6Dxw
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