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Politics & Government

Geneva School Board Releases Its Most Recent Contract Offer; Special Meeting Monday

The Geneva District 304 Board of Education has released a document that clarifies all aspects of the offer it put on the table Friday.

The Geneva Board of Education has released details of its most recent offer to the Geneva Education Association.

The "official copy," posted Thursday afternoon in PDF form on the Geneva School District's negotiations webpage, indicates that the School Board and GEA negotiators were "close to an agreement" or "reached tentative agreement" on every issue except salaries, sharing the cost of "release time" for union negotiators and a clause that asks non-union teachers to pay a "fair share" of union dues.

The board characterized these issues as close to resolution or resolved: tuition reimbursement, retirement, health insurance, sick leave, involuntary transfer, progressive discipline, extending the work day, supervisory duty, security cameras and special education.

Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Also on Thursday afternoon, the board sent notice of a special School Board meeting, which takes place at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5, at the Coultrap facility.

The limited agenda includes a public comments opportunity prior to adjournment to executive session.

Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Prior to Thursday afternoon, both sides had summarized the salary deals that were on the table at the end of Friday's 12-hour negotiations session, but the language of the explanations was different in the GEA and the School Board summaries.

Here's the School District's salary offer, as worded in the School Board's most-recent offer:

Salary Schedule

Historically, teachers have been paid according to their placement on the teacher salary schedule. The salary schedule is organized around steps and lanes. Each step represents one year of employment in the District and a salary increase of 2.65%; a lane represents completed graduate coursework and salary increases vary by lane. Salaries increase as a teacher moves a step (down the salary schedule) and/or a lane (across the salary schedule).

2012/2013

 Salary freeze for all teachers except:

  • teachers who qualify for lane advancement based on completed graduate coursework will be permitted to move to the appropriate lane on salary schedule (36 teachers)
  • teachers who have submitted a retirement notice over the past three years but prior to August 15, 2012 (57 teachers)

2013/2014

  • 1.65% added to each cell on the salary schedule; beginning teacher salary increase $39,651 to $40,305; teachers who qualify for lane advancement may move one (1) lane.

2014/2015

  • 2.75% added to each cell on the salary schedule; beginning teacher salary increases $40,305 to $41,413; teachers who qualify for lane advancement may move one (1) lane.

Retirement

Prior to Thursday afternoon, neither side had said much about where the retirement issue stood. The teachers union "Final Offer" posted Oct. 23 had called for three years of 6 percent salary increases prior to retirement.

The board's proposal calls for generous salary increases prior to retirement for the next three years, but a "sunset" of that benefit when the new contract expires in August 2015.

The offer likely would act as an incentive for higher-paid teachers to take retirement before the offer goes away.

Here's the board's Oct. 26 offer, as published:

An eligible teacher submitting a retirement notice by a predetermined date in the 2012/2013 school year and who intends to retire at the end of the 2014/2015 school year will receive the following salary increases:

  • 2012/2013: 6% increase over their prior year’s salary
  • 2013/2014: 3% increase over their prior year’s salary
  • 2014/2015: increase based on the 2013/2014 average teacher salary increase

An eligible teacher submitting a retirement notice by a predetermined date in the 2013/2014 school year and who intends to retire at the end of the 2014/2015 school year will receive the following salary increases:

  • 2013/2014: 6% increase over their prior year’s salary
  • 2014/2015: 3% increase over their prior year’s salary

An eligible teacher submitting a retirement notice by a predetermined date in the 2014/2015 school year and who intends to retire at the end of the 2014/2015 school year will receive the following salary increases:

  • 2014/2015: 6% increase over their prior year’s salary

GEA Release Time

Board Proposal – Oct. 26, 2012:

Currently, release time is provided to the GEA union President during the school day to meet with District administration to discuss issues of common concern, generally represent the interests of the union and engage in any other union activities. Under the Agreement that expired in August, the President of the GEA or designee had daily release time up to 70% of his or her regular work load. Most recently, the GEA has allocated the GEA President 50% release time and the GEA Vice President 20% release time. The GEA does not compensate the District for this release time.

  • 2012/2013: No Change
  • 2013/2014: Reduce release time from .70 to .60 FTE; GEA reimburses the District 25% of the beginning teacher salary rate in place in 2013/2014
  • 2014/2015: Reduce release time from .60 to .50 FTE; GEA reimburses the District 50% of the beginning teacher salary rate in place in 2014/2015

Union Dues (Fair Share) for Non-Union Teachers

Board Proposal – Oct. 26, 2012:

The union is proposing the addition of “fair share” language to the contract. At the present time, Geneva teachers are not required to join the GEA, and the union does not have the ability to assess non-members a “fair share” fee for representing their interests in collective bargaining matters.

The Board is opposed to adding “fair share” language to the contract.

 

Related Articles

 

  • Reports: GEA Members Authorize Strike; Nov. 9 Earliest Possible Strike
  • Geneva Teachers Express Frustration Over Stalled Negotiations
  • UPDATE: Geneva School Board Calls Special Meeting to Discuss Teacher Negotiations
  • Is a Teachers' Strike Possible in Geneva? Green Buttons Show Solidarity on First Day of School
  • Patch Poll: How Much of An Increase Should Geneva Teachers Get?
  • Batavia Teachers Get Raises in New Two-Year Contract; Geneva Still Negotiating
  • Where Do You Stand on the Geneva Teachers' Union Negotiations?
  • Geneva Teachers Expected to Picket Before Tuesday School Board
  • State Teachers Union Announces Geneva Talks at Impasse
  • UPDATE: Geneva Teachers Union Posts Its 'Final Offer'
  • District 304: GEA's 'Final Offer' Calls for 18% Salary Hike in Final 3 Years Before Retirement
  • Teacher Talks Resume Friday; Here's the Timeline If an Agreement Isn't Reached
  • Geneva School Board's 'Final Offer' Made Public
  • Geneva Teachers Give Notice of Intent to Strike
  • School Board: Union's 'Rigid Stance' Kept Parties Apart for Months; GEA Responds
  • Patch Poll: Which Offer Is More Fair to Teachers and Taxpayers?
  • UPDATE—Geneva School Board: GEA Filed Intent to Strike While Sitting at Negotiations Table
  • Geneva School District Outlines Plans in Case of Teacher's Strike
  • GEA Posts Open Letter to Geneva Citizens

 

 

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