JEFFERSONVILLE — They shared similar teacher contract issues and funding woes, but their approaches and circumstances led them to different solutions.
The New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation continues to take flak for laying off 38 teachers to plug a $2.2 million hole in their budget, which included all elementary art, physical education and music positions. The NA-FC Education Association is still working to save some of those positions.
Meanwhile, Greater Clark County Schools was able to save the jobs of most of their teachers. All but five are guaranteed to come back for the next school year. But those five may get certifications to allow them to teach subjects they’re not currently certified to teach, preserving their jobs.
The NA-FC school corporation didn’t come to an agreement to extend their contract with the local education association, while GCCS has an extension with their teachers until 2016 because both bodies came to an agreement before Gov. Mitch Daniels signed Senate Bill 575. The legislation limits the terms teachers can negotiate in contracts and limits extensions to two years.
While the decisions garnered different popular responses, each side maintains they did their best.
Martin Bell, chief operating officer for GCCS, said not sweating the small stuff led to cooperation between the school corporation and the Greater Clark County Education Association.
“We worked very hard at not getting locked in on side issues that really don’t have a place at the bargaining table,” Bell said. “We tried to be very transparent in the process to get the issues fully aired, and I think everyone felt like we have a mutual understanding to resolve problems.”
He said each side was able to set goals in cost reductions while working with employees, resulting in a contract that cut 39 positions overall, but saved most of the teachers by moving them into some vacancies within the corporation.
Bell said ultimately, the corporation is still going to hire teachers for the next school year.
Fred McWhorter, chief business officer for NA-FC said the contract negotiations with the NA-FC Education Association have been more difficult.
He said while GCCS was able to negotiate “real concessions” with their teachers union, NA-FC wasn’t able to write up a contract with their Education Association that would have been sustainable.
Teachers in GCCS were paying $1 a year for their health insurance plan, and they’re now paying $100 a month for their plans.
Mark Kessans, president of the NA-FC Education Association said the concessions in the contract proposed by the school board are too deep for teachers.
As it stands, 38 teachers won’t be coming back to their jobs at the beginning of the next school year, but some of those positions could still be saved if an agreement is reached with the school corporation.
Bell said with GCCS, by getting a hold on benefit costs to have employees share in the cost of health insurance, requiring step increases for teachers over periods of two years and keeping teachers accountable for their time off, they were able to save those dollars.
But for NA-FC, the benefits package for teachers and step increases still remain the main points of contention.
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