Munster teachers OK concessions to avoid layoffs

MUNSTER | School Town of Munster teachers overwhelmingly voted for concessions Tuesday night to avoid teacher layoffs.

"I'm not happy we had to make these cuts but I am pleased we were able to save jobs," said physics teacher and negotiations chairman Larry Hautzinger of the Munster Teachers Association.

"I didn't want teachers to be RIFFed. It's not good for students or teachers. It increases class size," he said minutes after the vote took place.

The vote was 144 to 28 in favor of the proposal.

Munster teachers agreed to give back a 3 percent salary increase they received in January. It will be eliminated in August. They agreed to pay $15 more per person, per pay period on their insurance premium. They agreed to a 10 percent cut on the extracurricular stipends that coaches receive for some events, and they agreed to a calendar reduction of two days, dropping down to 183 days.

The cuts amount to a savings of $560,000 that directly affects teachers, Hautzinger said.

"The total savings will amount to $960,000, which affects teachers because there were some other items which were cut but were not negotiable," he said, adding teachers have worked cooperatively with administrators.